New World, New Rules, New Game
by Free2BMe
Summary: A TP fan gets a visit from her fave author and finds out she has powers like the characters from the CoM books. She's taken to Winding Circle for magical training and gets caught up in a complicated plot of which she becomes a key player. R/R *Finished*
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer: None of this is mine except for Dan, Elizabeth, Elizabeth's mom, Luna and the plot. Don't sue me, I don't have any $$ anyway.  
  
Elizabeth Peterson stood scowling disgustedly at her reflection in the mirror. She stared at the orange hair who's color she loved, but that she could never get to make the hair-do she wanted, the green eyes that were the only other attractive feature about her in her opinion, and the multitude of hated freckles dotting her complexion. The 5' 3'' figure that was fifteen-year old Elizabeth didn't have much self-esteem and lived, not for her social life, but for her books.  
  
Her favorite ones were the "Circle of Magic" and "The Circle Opens" series by Tamora Pierce, her favorite author. In these books the four main characters Briar Moss, Lady Sandrilene fa Toren (Sandry), Daja Kisubo, and Trisana (Tris) Chandler, had magic. Briar had plant magic, Sandry had thread magic, Tris had weather magic, and Daja had smith magic. Each teenager could do different magical workings according to his or her abilities in their field of magic. They could also speak mind-to-mind when they wished. This had resulted when Sandry, being the thread mage, wove their magics together to make them stronger as she would have woven threads together to make them stronger. She had done this to keep them alive when they were trapped underground during an earthquake. The four lived at Discipline cottage (the cottage was named for what you learned there, not because it was a punishment) in a temple community called Winding Circle. Elizabeth always wished that she could have power like they did, but she had no idea how close to getting her wish she actually was.  
  
Hearing a knock on the door, Elizabeth went to see whom it was. Her mother opened the door to reveal a woman with shoulder-length hair and a big smile. "Mrs. Peterson?" She asked cheerfully. "Yes, may I help you?" Her mother answered. Elizabeth wondered who this was, she looked oddly familiar. "My name is Tamora, I've come to talk to you about Elizabeth. May I come in?" Her mother admitted her with a questioning look at Elizabeth. Of course! She thought, It's Tamora Pierce! I saw her picture on her website. As thrilled as she was that her favorite author of all time was sitting in her living room, she had to wonder what was going on. Taking a seat next to her mom, she listened to Tamora explain. "I've come to tell you something, but you must promise to keep and open mind about it." Tamora began.  
  
"I can't promise anything without knowing what it is first." Elizabeth's mother replied, a bit harshly. Elizabeth could see her mom wasn't very happy or agreeable at a perfect stranger coming into her house and telling her what to do. "Elizabeth has a special gift." Tamora continued, "She has the gift of magic. Now I know it sounds strange" she hurried on when she saw Mrs. Olson about to tell her off, "But it's true. She has water magic." "Get out of my house, now." Elizabeth's mom countered, dangerously quiet. Meanwhile Elizabeth was bewildered. "Magic?" She whispered "But." She trailed off. Tamora, deciding that she'd have a better chance addressing the girl, answered "Yes, magic. I've come to take you to Winding Circle to train." That was going too far as far as Elizabeth's mom was concerned. She got up and grabbed Tamora by the collar of her shirt, but just as she was about to throw her out, she was knocked into the wall with incredible force. "Elizabeth, please leave us in private to discuss this." Tamora said calmly, eyeing her dazed mother. "Don't kill her." Elizabeth pleaded. Tamora smiled. "Don't worry, she'll be perfectly fine." Elizabeth left and went upstairs to her room. She went over to her bookshelf and grabbed her Circle of Magic and Circle Opens series from the shelf and tossed them on the bed. Then she dropped to her knees and thanked God for this. She might be going to a world where they worship many Gods, as the world in which Winding Circle lay was, but she would always have just Him. After saying her prayers of thanks, Elizabeth decided it would be best to pack a bag, but realized she didn't have one big enough for the long stay she knew she would be having there and wasn't about to go downstairs to ask for one. Instead she turned on her CD player and listened to music, anxiously awaiting the conclusion of whatever was going on downstairs. About an hour or so later Elizabeth's mother entered the room and gave her an odd look before saying "I know I'm the last person you'd expect to say this but, it's true. You.you have.magic." She said the last word with an air of bewilderment. "Tomorrow I have to take you to Winding Circle to train you. An untrained mage is a dangerous thing you know." Tamora said from behind Elizabeth's mom. Elizabeth knew from reading her books that a mage was a person with magical powers. "For now I have to go. Good-night, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon." Elizabeth sat talking to her mother long after Tamora left. Her mother now genuinely believed that she had magic and, though she would miss her very much, that she had to be trained. "Can't you come?" asked Elizabeth. Her mom smiled. "No. I live here. But Tamora promised she'd bring you home to visit often, and on every one of our holidays." Then her mom started to cry and Elizabeth cried too. They held each other and Elizabeth murmured "I'll miss you too mom." The next day, with more hugs, kisses, and tears, Elizabeth left her family for Winding Circle. Well, actually, she left her family for New Hampshire, where Niklaren Goldeye (Tris's teacher and a Great Mage) awaited them. "The way we have to get to Winding Circle is with a Great Spell. A Great Spell is a strong and difficult magical working, so I'll need his help to do it." Tamora explained. After a while, they reached their destination. Tamora and Elizabeth went out to meet a middle-aged man with a salt-and-pepper mustache and hair to match. This was Niklaren. Then he, Tamora, and Elizabeth walked down a forest trail until they got to a clearing. Here, the man took a stick and drew a wide circle around the three of them. Elizabeth knew from reading her books that this was to keep their magic contained inside the circle so that it wouldn't spread out into the world. "Niko, you better prepare her for the spell. I'll start it while you explain it." Tamora told him. As she muttered strange words under her breath, Niklaren, also known as Niko, told Elizabeth what to expect. "First there will be a flash," He began, looking her in the eye, "Then you'll feel like you're being pulled forward for a while before you stop, though I must warn you that you stop quite suddenly and might feel a bit queasy afterwards." With that he closed his eyes and began to mutter under his breath as well. After a minute or so the flash came and as Elizabeth threw up her arm to shield her eyes, she was pulled forward and would have stumbled out of the circle and the spell and ended up who-knows-where, if Niko hadn't caught her. Getting her bearings, she stood again and braced herself for the stop. When it came, instead of standing upright as she was trying to be able to do, she was thrown face-first onto the ground. Getting to her knees she looked behind her to see both Tamora and Niko hiding smiles behind their hands. She blushed, stood up, and almost threw up. Getting her stomach under control, she stumbled over to where Tamora and Niko, who she noted had not been thrown off balance, stood. Looking around she saw that they were standing in the center of the spiral road that gave Winding Circle its name. "We're going to take you to the girl's bunks." Tamora said, grabbing one of Elizabeth's bags. "Actually," Elizabeth ventured, "I was wondering if Sandry, Briar, Tris, and Daja live here, or if you made them up." Giving Elizabeth a strange look at the seemingly random question she answered:  
  
"Of course they're real but Sandry lives with her uncle, Duke Vedris at Duke's Citadel. Briar and Tris live in Discipline, however, and Daja lives with her teacher Frostpine at his forge." "Then, I was wondering," Elizabeth continued nervously, "if I could stay at Discipline. I mean, I have just left another world, and I don't know if I want to be in a whole bunk of people who are so used to this one. I'll feel out or place. Plus, I've kind of wanted to live there with them ever since I read your books." Tamora looked at Niko who shrugged. "Well, I guess that's okay." She said, and headed off in the direction of Discipline cottage. Smiling at her good fortune, Elizabeth followed.  
  
When they got to Discipline, Elizabeth was introduced to two teenagers and two adults. One teenager was a plump girl with hazel eyes and curly hair cropped short. She had wire rimmed glasses on her nose and a polite smile on her face. This was Tris. The other teen was a boy with dark hair and a mischievous smile. He had the golden skin and almond shaped eyes of an easterner, but the green hue of his eyes suggested western blood in one parent. This was Briar, the former thief and present plant mage. The adults wore green habits that showed they had taken their vows to dedicate their lives to the gods and goddesses of the Earth Temple. One woman had almond eyes, like Briar, and dark curly hair that framed an almost cat-like face. This was Sandry's teacher in thread magic, Dedicate Lark. The other woman was short with auburn hair and a non-biased expression that Elizabeth recognized as Dedicate Rosethorn, Briar's teacher in plant magic. Once Elizabeth settled into her room downstairs, she walked with Tamora down to the Water Temple to get a teacher to instruct her in her own field of magic. After introducing themselves and their purpose to a dedicate, Tamora and Elizabeth were told to wait a moment. The dedicate came back accompanied by another person wearing the same blue habit as the first, showing that she, too, was a dedicate of the water temple. She had long brown hair that was tied back in a horsetail and bright blue eyes. "This is Luna Moonshine", the dedicate who asked them to wait said, "She has decided to take Elizabeth on as a student." Finished with the introductions, she walked back into the temple. Luna smiled. "Hi, you must be Elizabeth." Elizabeth nodded and shook the hand that was offered to her. "Well Elizabeth, I have things to do today, so we'll start your lessons tomorrow. I decided to take on another new student today as well. His name is Dan and I told him we'd start lessons tomorrow as well. I'm sure you two will get along fine. I'll meet you here tomorrow at midday, but now I've got to go." With that she left down the spiral road. Are all dedicates this hurried? Elizabeth wondered as she walked back to Discipline.  
  
The next day, Elizabeth went to the appointed meeting place. She saw another boy there who she assumed to be Dan. He had tan skin, and hair that had brown roots wit the rest dyed blonde. Elizabeth thought that was odd because she hadn't seen anyone else around here with dyed hair. The teen was tall and had deep blue eyes. He looked to be about seventeen years old. He's kind of cute, Elizabeth thought. "Are you Dan?" Elizabeth asked. "Yeah. Are you Elizabeth?" was the reply. "Yep. You have a sort of.accent. Where are you from?" asked Elizabeth. "Portugal." He said, "It's in another universe. I was brought here by someone named Tamora" Elizabeth took a moment to process this, though it did explain why his hair was dyed and no one else's was, before telling him that she, too, was from that universe and giving him a short version of her encounter with Ms. Pierce. Dan looked just as surprised to find that someone else here had come from his world as she had been. Just then, however, Luna walked up, cutting off any reply he might have made. "Sorry I'm late. Let's go." Elizabeth again noted Luna's hastiness. Oh well, she thought, I guess that's just the way she is. After a bit of walking the three mages arrived at the beach. "I've decided to teach your first lesson here because you are both water mages and we are lucky enough to be right on the sea. Your first lesson will be meditation. You must learn this before anything else. It's very important because it helps you keep your power in check so that you won't lose control of it and end up creating a disaster." Taking them to a spot close to the water, Luna drew a big circle around them like the one Niko had drawn around himself, Elizabeth, and Tamora. Sitting down in the circle, Luna motioned for the others to do the same. Then she instructed them to look at the waves. "Breathe in as they come up, hold your breath as they crash down, and let it out as they retreat back. Try to clear your mind." The two did as they were told and, after an hour, were told to stop. "Good job for beginners." Luna told them "We'll have to work on it though. I'll see you here again tomorrow. For homework, I want you to read the first chapter of this book." Luna handed them both a copy of a book entitled "Water. Its Power and Uses" and they all went their separate ways. The next week of lessons was exactly the same as the first; an hour of meditation followed by a chapter for homework. Throughout the week Dan and Elizabeth got to know each other better, and were becoming fast friends by the time the week was out. It seemed they had more in common than coming from the same world.  
  
One day, after they'd had their lessons, Dan and Elizabeth were walking together on the beach, carrying on a conversation. "Hey," said Dan, "do you remember reading about how water mages can talk with water? It was in those books Luna gave us." "Sure, I remember." Agreed Elizabeth. It had been in the last chapter they'd read. "Well, I was thinking that maybe we could try it with the sea." He suggested. Elizabeth stopped. "Umm.I guess you forgot, but the book also said that large bodies of water like, let's say the sea, were easily offended and you shouldn't try and speak with them until you've studied how. Now, maybe I forgot, but I don't remember studying that." "You're just chicken. It's only talking. How hard can it be?" He countered, walking toward the water. "They wouldn't have said not to try it if it wasn't dangerous. And yes, I am chicken. In fact I'm more than that, I'm terrified. We should not be trying this! You're going to get yourself killed!" She was screaming now. He could not actually be attempting this; it was crazy! "Fine, be chicken." He said calmly, "But I won't. Wish me luck." He said as he dashed into the water. Elizabeth sat wondering what to do. Should she tell someone? But then he'd get in trouble. But what if he got hurt? But maybe he was right; maybe he'd be fine as long as he was polite. The last thought was wiped from her mind as she saw the sea begin to swell around Dan, and the intense concentration mixed with fear on his face. Leave it to him to get into trouble before she was even two minutes into her debate with herself. What am I going to do?! She thought. She couldn't get him out on her own, she knew from her reading that she wasn't powerful enough or trained enough to do that. Then she got an idea. Recently, Briar had acquired a student of his own, a stone mage named Evvy. Sand was made of stones. If she could get to Briar, he could get Evvy to make the sand lift Dan over the waves. But how to get to Briar? Suddenly she had another idea. Briar was a plant mage. Elizabeth knew that he had the ability to speak with plants, and that plants needed water to live. Maybe she could reach Briar by talking through the water being absorbed by the plants around him. She'd have to try. She reached through the sand with her magic to get to the water underneath. Traveling through it, Elizabeth found a channel of water leading to Rosethorn's garden, which, if she was right, Briar should be weeding right now. Her luck was in, Briar was doing just that. Reaching through a plant by one of Briar's feet, Elizabeth asked the water inside it to have the plant deliver a message to Briar. It agreed. Briar? It's Elizabeth. Elizabeth?! Hope soared in her heart; it had worked! She quickly explained the problem and her idea. Briar agreed to it. Please hurry! Elizabeth urged, I'll try to stall it, but I'm not sure how long I can. The sea seems very intent on hurting him. I hope I'm not too late. Gathering her magic back into herself, Elizabeth looked at Dan. The waves were rising and pushing him harshly, trying to knock him down, while the current tried to pull him under. He seemed to be concentrating hard to keep from being overtaken. Knowing if she didn't do something fast Dan would drown, Elizabeth ran into the water, not sure whether she would ever be coming out again.  
  
Author's note: Please read and review. Do you like it? Too long? HELP ME OUT HERE! Please. 


	2. The Battle

Author's Note: I only got ONE review. Just ONE LOUSY REVIEW. But that's okay, I love you all anyway and I'm gonna post another chapter anyway. So I'de just like to thank Willowwater, who actually reviewed me. Thanks for the support. Anyway, here goes chapter 2. Enjoy!  
  
HOW DARE YOU?!?! Boomed a thunderous roar that bombarded Elizabeth the minute she plunged into the water.  
  
Elizabeth cast her power out into the sea. Please, she began, what did he do?  
  
INSOLENT!!!!!!!! Came the near deafening reply. The waves were crashing up against her and Dan, trying to knock them down.  
  
INSOLENT!!!!!!!  
  
Elizabeth decided that she would give Dan a good kick if they survived. Please, she pleaded, I know he's insolent. Please don't kill him, he means you no harm.  
  
  
  
HE CHALLENGED ME!!!!!!!!!!!! Make that a good, hard kick.  
  
I did NOT challenge him! Dan objected in a weak voice. Another wave crashed down, nearly pushing Dan under. Elizabeth lent him some of her power. Please, she tried again  
  
NO MORE WORDS!!!!!!! Thundered the sea, and it began crashing down on them both, hard. Elizabeth panicked. Oh no! she thought, I can't stall him any more!  
  
The waves rained down on them. Weak and exhausted from trying to stay above water for so long, Dan finally couldn't take any more. He slipped under. "NOOOO!!!!!!!" Elizabeth cried. She slammed her power out and started to battle the sea. She couldn't let it take Dan! She battled the waves magically and physically, all the while trying to bring Dan to the surface again. Even if she defeated the sea, it would do no good if he drowned during the process. He got above long enough to take a quick breath before he was knocked down again. Elizabeth battled harder, she was furious and she didn't care how crazy it was. She had to fight. She could only get him up for brief moments before he would be knocked back down again. She couldn't go much longer. Dan was under again. She tried to pull him up, but she couldn't. The seconds dragged past and she tried in vain to get him to the surface, he was drowning. NO! she thought, You can't die! But, try as she might, she couldn't do anything. He'd been under for 25 seconds, and tears streamed down her face as her impending failure began to sink in, 30 seconds, 31, 32- all of a sudden, the ground began to rise, 35, 36, 37, and Dan and Elizabeth were soaring through the air. They landed safely on the beach. Elizabeth slowly sat up. Dan didn't. He lay motionless where he'd fallen. A healer was at his side, trying to revive him. Nothing.  
  
Author's Note: *sob* he's dead!!!!!!!! Or is he? The suspense is KILLING ME!!!, Wait a second, I'm WRITING this story. I already know what's going to happen. But you don't. HAHA! Find out in my next chapter. And please, be merciful and review. Even Flame, just give me some indication you've read it. 


	3. I lo-

A/N: I just want to send a quick thanks to my two reviewers. THANKS! I love you guys, you've kept me sane so far. Now, on with the show:  
  
Elizabeth looked at the motionless form of Dan. I can't believe I failed, she thought as the misery of the situation began to sink in. And then Dan began to cough and sputter. Elizabeth's heart leapt for joy and it was all she could do to keep herself from kissing him as she ran over to his side.  
  
"You're ALIVE!" She cried, overjoyed. Then, remembering that he was the idiot that got them into this position in the first place, she yelled, "I told you it was a stupid idea! You almost died! If Evvy hadn't come to save us, you would have!" Elizabeth was near tears now. She had been so scared that he was dead and, consequentially, was breaking down.  
  
"I didn't know you cared." He joked, but she could see remorse in his eyes.  
  
"Of course I care. I lo-" she stopped, realizing what she was saying. "I'm your friend." She replaced lamely. She'd almost admitted that she loved him! Worse, she hadn't realized the fact of the matter herself. But as she thought about it, she realized that it was true. She did love him. But she didn't want him to know. It could ruin the friendship they had formed if he didn't feel the same. Luckily he didn't seem to have picked up on her mishap. He closed his eyes as the healers picked him up and carried him away. Leaving Elizabeth to get a verbal thrashing from Luna, who had conveniently come along.  
  
"What were you THINKING?! Didn't you read those books I gave you?" Luna fumed. "You both could have been killed!! For the next two weeks, you two are grounded. No magic. None. I had planned on starting the both of you on magical healing this week, but you two are obviously not mature enough to be entrusted with others lives, when you can't even take care of your own. What in the world possessed you to do such a thing in the first place?"  
  
Elizabeth found the whole story pouring out of her. By the end of it, she was shaking with sobs and Luna was sitting back, awe-struck.  
  
"Fought the sea? How did.you can't.but." she trailed off "You shouldn't have had the power to do that." She stated firmly after a moment. She fixed her with a sharp glare "And you're very lucky you did." With that she left. Someone came up and put their arm around Elizabeth. She looked up, surprised, and saw Briar. She'd completely forgotten about him. She leaned into him and he comforted her as she finished crying.  
  
"Come on kid, let's get you home." He said in a gentle voice. Elizabeth nodded and stood up. She stumbled, but Briar caught her. She leaned against him, realizing for the first time how tired she was. Briar supported her weight as they made their way back. Elizabeth thanked Evvy profusely, but the Chammur (a/n: I think she was from Chammur, right?) brushed off the praise.  
  
Elizabeth spent the rest of the afternoon in bed. She woke up in the evening and wandered out of her room to the kitchen, as she was quite hungry.  
  
"You're just in time." Lark said cheerfully, "We were just about to have supper. Take a seat." Elizabeth did as she was told, plopping into her usual spot one of the benches. "Elizabeth, this is Adam Fickett. Adam this is Elizabeth, the other member of our household." It was only then that Elizabeth noticed the dark-haired boy sitting across from her. She silently cursed herself for not cleaning up her appearance before she came out.  
  
"Nice to meet you." Adam said with a smile. Elizabeth returned the greeting, smiling back. "You missed Lark's announcement." Tris said. Elizabeth guessed from her overly cheerful voice that she wasn't going to like the news. Tris being cheerful usually meant she was being sarcastic. "They're adding more rooms onto Discipline. So that MORE people can move in!" She finished with false excitement, putting in the last obvious statement to show everyone (except Adam, who thought she was being genuine) how unhappy she was about this. She plastered a huge smile on her face and stated "Adam is going to come here after that." Elizabeth almost dropped right off the bench. Luckily, Lark served dinner at that very moment, saving her from having to make any response. Elizabeth ate quickly, cleaned her dishes and returned to her room.  
  
After a few minutes, she heard a knock on the door. She called for the person to enter, and soon Briar and Tris's forms were walking across her floor. They sat down next to Elizabeth on her bed, and Tris promptly picked up on of her pillows, buried her face in it, and screamed. "Thank you." She said simply, when she was finished.  
  
"No problem." Elizabeth answered with a smile.  
  
"So," said Briar, "I was wondering.how did you call me through that plant? You're don't have that kind of magic." He looked at her eagerly, waiting for a response. Tris rolled her eyes.  
  
"Plant boy here has been dying to find out. It's all he could talk about since you two got back." Her eyes softened and took on a pleading look, "Please, just tell him and put us ALL out of misery. If I have to hear him tell the story one more time, I swear I'll push him off the roof!" she said, earning a glare from Briar. "Plus," She added, "I'd kind of like to hear what happened myself." Elizabeth sighed and began to tell him the whole story, beginning to end.  
  
"That was a good idea." Briar complimented her when she had finished, "I mean your idea to reach me. It's very logical, though I don't know if anyone else who was in your circumstances would have thought of it, all things considered." Elizabeth smiled at the compliment. It meant a lot to her. Despite his praise, Elizabeth still felt guilty over what had happened. She lay thinking about it far into the night. If she had made him stop, this wouldn't have happened. How could she have been so fool as to think Dan would be okay? And then, as her mind began to drift, she started thinking about how she had almost admitted that she loved him. True, she had only known him for a short while, but she had never felt so attracted to someone in her life. Finally she drifted off to sleep, thinking about Dan and her new found love for him and where their relationship would end up because of it.  
  
Author's Note: Okay, this chapter was long and boring. I promise more excitement in the next one, I just had to get the boring stuff out of the way. No, I didn't kill Dan. I couldn't. Hey, I just brought him into the story, let me play around with him a bit. However, for those of you who want someone to die *mutters something about you being evil and bloodthirsty* I plan on killing someone later on. People, I once again stress the fact that I need reviews. I don't get it, I told you guys you could flame, but you haven't. So my story must be good, right? But if it's good, why isn't anyone reading it? Please review, tell your friends to read it and review, tell your DOG to read it and review. I don't care WHO you tell, just tell SOMEONE. I'm getting REALLY desperate here people. And once again, thank you to those of you who have reviewed. I love you both *hugs her reviewers until they remind her that people need to breathe* 


	4. Back at the Beach

Author's Note: I just want to quickly say to Min that I hate this format too, but I can't change it. I'm horrible with computers. When I tried to put it into the form I wanted I lost the whole stupid chapter and had to re- write it. That's okay though, cuz it came out better the second time. Anyway, enjoy!  
  
For the next two weeks Elizabeth and Dan were to accompany Luna to the hospital where they would do mundane tasks such as mopping floors and holding basins. The first two days Elizabeth did this alone, Dan was still recuperating. He joined her, however, on the fourth day and so they walked home together.  
  
By this time, the three new rooms being added to Discipline had just been finished and Elizabeth had been informed that Dan would be moving in. (A/N: Corny, I know, but I wanted them to get closer and how better than making them live together? Hey, it worked for the Circle kids.) Elizabeth helped Dan move into his new room and then they went for a walk. Not really paying attention to where they were going, they suddenly found themselves standing on the beach. A silence fell over them as they both mentally relived the horrific events of that afternoon that felt a world away and yet was actually only days ago. Dan turned to Elizabeth.  
  
"Look," He began, but she cut him off.  
  
"Don't. Don't say anything." She said, looking down at her feet. He gently lifted her chin until her eyes met his.  
  
"I need to. I need to thank you. I need to apologize. I need to talk. We went through something big. Something terrifying. And no one will talk about it. Well, I will." He sighed and let go of her. He sat down and she sat down opposite him. He was right, they couldn't just pretend it never happened, no matter how much she wanted to. The last thing she felt like doing was re-living this, but if she didn't do it now, she knew she'd have to do it later. Taking a deep breath, she braced herself for their conversation.  
  
"First, I want to say that I'm sorry. I don't know what possessed me to do such a thing. I was curious, and.and to be honest, I didn't believe that it was going to be dangerous. I mean, sure, I read about it, but it's much different to live it." A shadow passed over his face as he remembered. Elizabeth moved so she was next to him and put an arm around him.  
  
"I know." She whispered, "And, believe it or not, I understand. In fact, I almost envied you when you started to walk into that water. I'd never have the guts to do that. I mean, maybe in this situation that was a good thing, but a lot of times I wish I could be more like you. So daring, so willing to do anything." Dan put his arm around her shoulders now and Elizabeth wondered for a moment if they looked like a couple, and if they did, were they a cute one?  
  
"Me? Brave?" Dan replied. "You're the brave one. All I did was almost get us killed. You're a hero. You saved us. You took control of a seemingly hopeless situation, and turned it around. That's bravery." Elizabeth shook her head.  
  
"No. If I were brave, I would have tried to stop you from the beginning. I didn't. Instead, I waited until things were totally out of control and the only thing I could do was stall the inevitable." Dan turned to her.  
  
"Is that what you really think?" He asked, surprised. "Come on, we both know how stubborn I can be. And if I recall correctly, you did try and stop me. I believe I called you chicken. Sorry about that by the way." She smiled, but her face soon turned serious again.  
  
"I hear hooves." She stated. She was seized with an unexplainable fear and quickly got up and ran to a nearby cluster of rocks to hide, Dan following, confused, behind her. Once they were both behind the rocks he gave her a quick look saying "What the hell are we doing?!" Elizabeth did, of course, realize that she was being pathetic. That's right, she thought to herself, run from the horses riding through a temple community. OF COURSE, they must be dangerous! Yes, temple community just SCREAMS danger to me! Nevertheless, she couldn't ignore her instincts. The horses stopped a few feet from their hiding spot. Elizabeth, ever the polite one, listened in on their conversation.  
  
"What the hell are we doing here? This is INSANE. We can't kill someone from a temple community. And a mage no less!"  
  
"Do we really have a choice? He'll kill us if we don't. And if we do it, remember the reward."  
  
"How can you trust him? He's a murderer!"  
  
"He may be a murderer, but he's our only chance."  
  
"I still think it's insane. You've seen her at work. She's amazing. There's no WAY we can get by her magic."  
  
"Like I said before, we're in too deep not to. We WILL die if we don't because we know too much. If we try it, we at least MIGHT get out alive. Now come on!" And with that, the horses were off again, bearing their riders with them. Dan and Elizabeth waited a few minutes before coming out again, to make sure they were really gone. They looked at each other and, in unspoken agreement, they both ran for all they were worth back to Discipline.  
  
Half an hour later, Dan and Elizabeth were sitting in the living room looking at the faces of Rosethorn, Lark, Briar, and Tris. They had just told them everything they'd heard. Rosethorn recovered from the shock first.  
  
"What did they look like?" She asked sharply.  
  
"I don't know." Elizabeth admitted, "I never saw them. Dan?" Dan just shook his head, still quite shocked himself. "In fact, I couldn't even tell you what they sounded like. Not so much as whether they were male and female. The only thing I remember was their words." Dan nodded his agreement.  
  
"Probably a spell." Rosethorn muttered. "I'll alert the guard and the council. I'm sure everything will be straightened out soon." With that she got up and left.  
  
With a muttered comment about being tired, Elizabeth excused herself from the room. She sat the end of her bed. She wasn't really tired, just scared. Dan popped his head into her room and asked for permission to enter. She gave it and he came to sit next to her.  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked.  
  
"I will be." She answered, "Just give me a minute. What about you?" He nodded.  
  
"Just a little shaken up." He hesitated before adding, "Do you really think everything will be okay?" She was about to say that of course she did, but she stopped. After a moment she shook her head.  
  
"I have no idea." Dan put his arm around her and she leaned into him, enjoying their closeness. She looked up at his face and saw an odd expression pass over it, but as soon as it had come it was gone. Does he feel what I feel? She wondered suddenly. No, she reprimanded herself. You're just his friend. But, she argued with herself, it usually starts that way. She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and just enjoyed having his arm around her. She felt better when she was with him. When he held her like this she felt like she was totally safe, untouchable. She'd give almost anything to make him feel the same way. She was falling for him, and falling fast. She just hoped when she wouldn't hit the ground too hard if he didn't feel the same. 


	5. Camping

Author's Note: No one else has reviewed me! *sulks and mutters under her breath that you're all evil poops trying to discourage her* Oh well, this is my story and I'm really getting into it. This is turning out to be a lot of fun. I'm enjoying the developing relationship between Elizabeth and Dan, aren't you? I realize that a lot of this has nothing to do with the Circle characters, but I think they'll come in later when things REALLY start to heat up. I finally realized where I'm going with all this. Just WAIT until you find out *Cackles evilly thinking about the horrible plot twists awaiting her unsuspecting characters* By the way, does anyone think that maybe someone should start to like Adam? I think I could do a minor plot with that.love triangles and stuff.*trails off thinking of further plot complications*  
  
Elizabeth woke the next day and went to the kitchen. As no one else was up, she started to make some tea. By the time it was done, the rest of the household was assembled and Rosethorn had asked them all to sit down for a minute so she could say something.  
  
"You're teachers and I have arranged a camping trip for all of you." She looked around at each face in turn. They all stared back at her like she had told them she was pregnant with an alien's three-headed love child. Even Adam and Dan had learned early on that this was not something Rosethorn would suggest. "This is NOT a social outing." She continued, and the tenants regained their composure. "It's to force you all to use your magic in unknown surroundings." She looked meaningfully at Dan and Elizabeth. "Luna has agreed to allow you two the use of your magic for this week, but your grounding comes back into effect the minute your feet touch Winding Circle soil." Looking back at the rest of the group she continued, "All of your teachers will come with you. Sandry will be coming as well so that she can take Pasco, and Briar will be taking Evvy." Looking at Tris she said, "You and Daja may come along as well. You can always use the practice." Tris nodded. Rosethorn expounded the details of the trip before they all had their breakfast. After they were finished, Dan and Elizabeth excused themselves and went to the hospital to commence vomit cleanup and basin holding.  
  
"This might be fun." Dan commented as they walked towards the hospital together. Elizabeth gave him a strange look.  
  
"Since when is cleaning up vomit fun?" She asked. Dan rolled his eyes.  
  
"Not that. The camping trip. Don't you think?"  
  
"Yeah, though I'm not so sure I want to find out how we'll be forced to use our magic. I'm starting to think we'll be blindfolded and left in the middle of the forest to be eaten by the bears." She cringed at the thought, which had come up in her mind in graphic detail. Dan laughed. "You laugh now, but just wait." Muttered Elizabeth, only causing him to laugh harder.  
  
He put his arm around her, still giggling like a schoolgirl, and said "Don't worry, I'll protect you."  
  
"Great," She said dryly, "Now I feel safe." But inwardly she smiled. Before she knew what she was doing, she started to lean in to kiss him. Right before she made contact, she realized what she was doing and pulled away. Hastily she said, "We better hurry up." Walking quickly towards the hospital she began to mentally scream at herself. She couldn't believe what she had almost done; it was so unlike her. I just don't function right around him, she thought. She avoided Dan for the rest of the day, afraid of what he thought about it. He caught up with her, however, while they were going home.  
  
"Hey," he said, sounding annoyed, "What the hell did I do?"  
  
"What?" Elizabeth asked, confused.  
  
"You've been avoiding me all day." He stated plainly. She blushed. "What gives you that idea?" She asked, hoping she could play it off.  
  
"Well," he began, with mock patience, "I haven't seen you since you entered the door of that place, and when Luna dismissed us you bolted out of there like it was on fire." Elizabeth blushed harder. "So," Dan continued, "I'd like to know what in the hell I did that made you do that. For God's sake, how can I fix it if you won't let me know what I did in the first place?"  
  
Elizabeth had conflicting attitudes about this confrontation. On the one hand, she was glad that Dan hadn't seemed to pick up on the fact that she had almost kissed him. On the other, it was so PAINFULLY obvious, that he SHOULD have known. This made her confused as to whether he was choosing to ignore it or if he was a downright moron. If he was choosing to ignore it, why? Because he really didn't feel the same as her and he figured if he didn't bring it up it was like it never happened? Since all of this was passing through her brain, all she could manage to say was, "ummm."  
  
"FINE!" Dan huffed, and began walking away from her as quickly as Elizabeth had walked from him earlier that day. Elizabeth felt her heart sink as she tried in vain to figure out a coherent sentence to say. When he was out of view, she sank to the ground.  
  
"Dammit! Dammit, Dammit, DAMMIT!!!!!!!!" She screamed. She got up and kicked at the ground meaninglessly before heading off to Discipline.  
  
When she got there, Dan refused to look at her. She still hadn't come up with something to say to him, so she went to her room. Pulling a Tris, she grabbed a pillow and screamed into it. Then she screamed into it again, and again, and again. Feeling a little better, if also a little light-headed, she went to her desk and started to read her assigned chapter from Luna. This, however, only made her think of Dan. Throwing her book on the ground she glared at it before flopping down on her bed in surrender.  
  
I better think of something to tell him, she decided. So she thought. And she thought, and thought, and thought, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't find a convincing reason for avoiding him except for the truth. Fat chance I'm telling him THAT! She thought. Maybe he'll just forget about it. But she knew that he wouldn't. He'd said himself that he could be extremely stubborn.  
  
Elizabeth grabbed the bag she packed the night before and loaded it into the wagon. Dan hadn't said anything to her all morning. Now they were going on the camping trip and she wasn't sure if she could stand the communication gap for the whole week. After a head count, Rosethorn and Lark climbed into the drivers' seat of a wagon with Evvy, Briar, Sandry, and Pasco in the back while Luna and took the drivers' seat of the wagon holding Adam, Elizabeth, and Dan. Adam's teacher, Adrienne Pine, drove another wagon, holding the supplies for the camp.  
  
Dan, being completely childish as far as Elizabeth was concerned, kept up his silent treatment. Adam however, managed to keep up a steady conversation the whole ride over, without either Dan or Elizabeth saying one word.  
  
When they got there, the children helped set up camp. Elizabeth went over to Dan, who pretended not to notice her. "Looks like they're not dumping us in the woods to be eaten by bears." She tried. "Good. I'm not really in the mood to protect you right now anyway. Now I won't have to worry about feeling guilty if the bears kill you" Dan said before turning away and busying himself with another task. Elizabeth stood for a minute, shocked. She was amazed that something as abstract as words could make her feel as if he'd just stabbed her with a knife.  
  
"I'm taking a walk." She declared. Rosethorn started to protest but Elizabeth cut her off. "LOOK! You're the one saying we need to learn to use our power in foreign environments, if I get into trouble I'll just do that!" And with that, she ran into the woods before anyone could stop her. After she'd gone far enough that she knew no one would follow her, she slowed to a walk. She walked aimlessly; she just needed something to do. She started thinking about Dan and what he'd said. She knew he didn't mean it, but it still hurt her. This whole thing is SO stupid! She thought. He's totally over-reacting! But was he? It was obvious that she had hurt his feelings by avoiding him. Was he really over-reacting? Ok, she conceded, maybe he's not. All of a sudden, she heard a low growl. Turning to her left, her face took on an expression of shock. "Oh shit." She stated as she looked into the face of a furry, not-so-cuddly black bear.  
  
Author's Note: I love cliffhangers! He he. Anyways, this is a longer chapter (I think), so be happy! Remember the question I asked at the top (and if you don't, read it again please. I need some help). Love you all! Good-bye until next time! 


	6. The Confession

Author's Note: Since none of you wanted to answer my question about Adam *pouts* I've decided on my own to make him go for Tris. She needs a little romance, don't you think?

Adam sat in his tent. The ride over had been horrible. He figured Dan and Elizabeth were having some kind of fight because they refused to acknowledge each other's presence in the wagon. He'd tried to get them to talk to him but they hadn't responded at all, no matter what he talked about. 

However, his current thoughts were far from those two. Lately Adam had been thinking about Tris a lot. Well, he rationalized, she IS beautiful. With her Cascading, curly, red hair and full bust, how can I NOT be attracted to her? However he knew that she was not a very social person. Indeed, she seemed to confuse him at every turn. She'd seemed so happy to have people moving into Discipline at first, and yet she kept away from Adam as much as she could. This only made him want to have her more. Adam had always loved a challenge.

Deciding he was sick of thinking, he began to meditate. As the world melted away, he cast out his senses. Adam had animal magic and so he was soon aware of every squirrel, chipmunk, and gofer, within a five-mile radius. The bombardment of this struck him and he was forced to shut most of it out so that his brain didn't feel as if it were drowning.

Concentrating on the current area, he scanned for anything interesting. About a mile away he found a mother Black Bear and her cubs. Focusing on her, he entered her mind (a tactic he had recently learned, along with shape shifting). He sensed her alarm at an approaching animal. Curious, Adam let go of her mind and searched out the animal she was sensing. He didn't have to go far before he found a human form. And one he recognized. Tearing himself back into reality he jumped up and ran out of his tent. He grabbed Dan's arm as headed toward the forest.

"Hey! What's your problem?" Dan yelled as soon as he realized what was going on. He ran to keep up with Adam's fast pace.

"It's Elizabeth," He shouted back, "She's about to stumble upon a mother Black Bear and her cubs. Now, I don't know about you but I can't take down a full size bear by myself." Dan stopped dead in his tracks. He was suddenly hearing his own voice in his ears, telling Elizabeth that he would have let her get eaten by bears in the wild. Oh my God! He thought. The cruel irony of it hitting him. Adam, realizing he was no longer behind him stopped. "Hey! I can ASSURE you that the bear won't wait for us to get there to rip her to shreds, so are you coming or not?!" Dan managed a nod. "Then get on my back, I'm changing into a Lion to gain speed. Hand on TIGHT." He warned and then shed his clothes for the shaggy mane of a Lion. Dan climbed onto his back and took a strong hold on that mane, holding on for dear life as Adam put on a burst of speed.

MEANWHILE…

Elizabeth felt tears stream down her face as she slowly backed away from the now 10 foot tall Black Bear standing on her hind legs in front of her. Any other person would have seen it, she thought, but NO not me. The Queen of the Idiots never noticed the HUMONGOUS FURRY BEAR sitting right next to her. She screamed as the bear fell down on her, its forepaws landing on her shoulders and pushing her to the ground. She contemplated playing dead. Unfortunately for her, she'd never been a very good actress. The bear opened her mouth and brought it down, ready to take a huge chunk out of her. She braced herself for impact. But instead of feeling her flesh being torn, she heard another growl. Great! She thought, The entire animal KINGDOM is coming to take a helping of me. She was grateful, however, that the bear had turned to face whatever it was. Getting up, she looked over at what had jumped through the trees and bought her some time. When she saw it, she almost fell right back down. She was staring at Dan and he was getting off…was that a LION?!?!?!?!?!? Dan ran over and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her through the woods. He spotted a rock wall with a wide crack in it. (A/N: I know, I know! How convenient.) Looking in quickly, he entered, pulling Elizabeth in after him. He sat down and she fell against him gratefully.

"I thought you weren't gonna save me from the bears if they tried to eat me." She muttered into his shirt.

"Would you rather I left you to die?" He asked icily. She pulled away.

"This has GOT to stop." She stated firmly. "This is silly! I don't know why you're taking it so far!" He looked into her eyes and she wished she could look away. Seeing the mix of pain and anger and knowing she had caused it was almost too much to bear, but she couldn't tear her eyes from him.

"Silly?" He asked. Though his tone was low and serious, it was tight with anger. "So you think it's silly that you hurt my feelings? Why did you avoid me? It hurt me. And then when I asked you why, you wouldn't tell me! It was like you didn't care that you had hurt me. It was like you were basically saying, 'Screw you!' Now leave me alone for a minute, I have to do something." Dan cast out his senses, feeling the water in the ground, following it until he felt two large presences on top of it. Identifying them as a bear and a lion, he began to send the water up quickly under the bear's form. The dirt quickly softened and the bear found herself sinking waist deep in mud. The lion (or Adam) bounded quickly away to get help from Rosethorn, Luna, and the other teachers. Feeling him leave, Dan opened his eyes. Elizabeth looked at him. She was afraid to tell him the truth about why she'd avoided him, but if she didn't she'd lose his friendship anyway. At least if this scared him off, it wouldn't be her fault. She took a deep breath.

"Do you want to know?" she asked, "Because if you want to know I'll tell you. But don't say I didn't warn you."

"Yeah, I want to know." He said, his voice still angry, though it had lost a bit of its edge.

"Okay. I don't know if you noticed, but when we were walking up to the hospital that day, I almost kissed you. I…I was embarrassed. And while we're at it, I might as well tell you that I almost confessed that I love you on the beach when…well, you know. I didn't think you felt the same way and I didn't want to risk our friendship over it. But I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry" Dan took a moment to process all this information. Then he looked at her and said seriously "I could kill you right now." With that he leaned in and kissed her. Pulling back he continued "How could you not know I felt the same?" She leaned back against him and cried with relief. Dan held her close and stroked her hair whispering, "Shhh…It's okay…I love you too." Finally she sat up again.

She looked into Dan's deep blue eyes before she brought her mouth back up to his. This time she savored their kiss, tasting it, feeling it. When they broke away she hugged Dan to her. Suddenly exhausted, she fell asleep on his chest.

Author's Note: Yes, I do love to end these stories with romance. I'm sorry, but I was getting REALLY sick of this "He loves me, He loves me not" spell. I just wanted them to GET OVER IT. Love you all! Bye until my next chapter!


	7. Calithil

Elizabeth woke with a start. Rubbing her eyes, she looked around. What am I doing in a rock? She thought groggily. Turning, she saw the reason she was awake. Rosethorn's face loomed above hers.  
"My, you've managed to cause QUITE a bit of trouble while you've been with us." She said. Elizabeth suddenly remembered the bear and Dan. Looking over at him, she shook him awake.  
"Wha-What?" he said, waking up. When he saw Rosethorn he said "Oh no."  
"Oh yes." She replied. "But trust me, I'm nothing compared to YOUR teacher." She smiled evilly, then grabbed each of them by the ear and dragged them outside. There stood Luna, and Elizabeth almost wished the bear had eaten her.  
"Come on you too!" She said. "You've officially taken over all chores for the week. And it's time for our midday. I hope you can cook!"  
Despite their brave culinary attempts, the food (or at least, they were pretty sure it was food. They knew it had started out that way, though by the finish they weren't entirely sure anymore) ended up burning. Tris looked at it like it would bite her before giving Dan a disgusted look. "You wouldn't have liked it even if it wasn't burnt." He told her.  
"You probably wouldn't have been able to tell what it was." Added Elizabeth.  
"Can we please take 'cooking' off their list of chores?" Tris pleaded. "I thought the point was punishing THEM. Not US." Lark looked at her bowl uneasily. Glancing at Luna she gave her a look that said, "She's right you know." Luna sighed before agreeing. Dan and Elizabeth looked at each other in relief. After midday they cleaned up after everyone before meeting Luna for their lesson.  
After meditation she made them get up and follow her. She stopped by a pond.  
"After you're episode with the sea, I decided you should learn the proper way to converse with water. I'm starting you off with a pond. They're considerably more mellow than the sea. Very good for beginners." She motioned for them to sit. "Now, normally to begin conversation you greet it by its name. However, we don't know this one's name. So in this case we start by introducing ourselves and asking for their name." Luna cast out her magic and Dan and Elizabeth followed suit. They could hear Luna's magical voice saying, 'Good day! My name is Luna Moonshine. I hail from the Temple community of Winding Circle in Emelan. These are my students, Danilo Correa (A/N: You didn't think his full name was 'Dan', did you?) and Elizabeth Peterson. They too come from the Temple community of Winding Circle.   
Good day. Came the reply. The feminine voice sounded like wind chimes being blown by a gentle breeze and yet gave the impression of waves lapping gently at the shore.  
May I ask what your name is so that we may address you properly? Luna asked.  
Calithil. Came the relaxed reply.  
Dan, wanting desperately to try this and get it right, decided to compliment her. That's a beautiful name. He said, his nervousness showing a bit even in his magical voice. They heard a sound like rain falling on a still pool and realized she was laughing.   
Why thank you my son.   
Unable to resist her curiosity Elizabeth asked, How is he your son?  
The same way you are my daughter. She patiently answered, as if this was obvious.   
I'm quite sorry, but I'm afraid I still don't understand. Neither of us were even born in this Universe. And I'm sure I was born from a human.   
They heard Calithil's laughter again. You're a water mage, are you not?   
Yes. She answered, still confused.   
All water mages are my children. It doesn't matter where they were born. I am Calithil. I am the mother of water magic. I am every pond in every universe. I berthed oceans, streams, rivers, lakes and all other natural forms water takes and I select those who I deem worthy to work with them. You and Dan are two of those people.  
I'm honored. Elizabeth said, awe-struck.  
As am I. Dan replied.  
You two are very important to me. Calithil said seriously. I gave you more power than I give most people. I have a reason for doing that. You have been given a harder path to take than most. You will have amazing power, but for that reason you will face treacherous and dangerous situations. Always remember that you have that power for a reason. Never underestimate it and never take it for granted. And I suggest that you come to terms with your fear of the sea. You'll need him. Now you must go. I have things to do. Good bye my children, we shall meet again I believe.  
Good bye. They chorused. Then they got up and walked back home, unaware that miles away their doom was being planned.  
  
Three men sat around a cauldron filled with water. Inside an image of a redheaded girl and tan boy was fading away.  
"Them." Said a low, mysterious voice.  
"But, they're just CHILDREN." Protested a higher voice to his left.  
"Do you doubt me?" Asked the first voice, dangerously soft.  
"N-n-no." The other man squeaked. The third, who had until now remained silent, said one word in a gruff voice.  
"How?" At this the first man, who seemed to be their leader laughed. A loud, low, menacingly evil laugh.  
"You will find out in good time. The plan is already in motion, and the trap set."  
  
Author's Note: I know this is an incredibly short chapter, but I have to work on a bit of the next part so that it'll fit in with what I'm trying to do. Love you all (especially those of you that gave me reviews, YOU ROCK!), Buh-Bye! 


	8. Voices on the Wind

The rest of the week was surprisingly uneventful. Dan and Elizabeth upheld their duty to do all the chores (except for cooking) and were happy when the week was out. After all the wagons were packed, they headed out. This time however, Adam had scored a seat in the same wagon as Tris.  
  
"Hey lovely." He said to her playfully. He'd been trying in vain to win her over the whole week. This was no different. She ignored him and turned the page of the book she was reading as if she hadn't heard him at all. "Aww, come on." He pleaded in a gentle voice, "Don't be like that. I don't bite.unless you want me to."  
  
*Can you believe this guy?* She mind-spoke to Daja. Her companion smiled at her.  
  
*I don't know,* she joked, *He's kind of cute.* Tris glared her, causing Daja to burst into laughter. Adam regarded them with a confused expression. No one had told him yet that Daja, Tris, Briar, and Sandry could all speak mind-to-mind. Disregarding their strange behavior, he tried again to woo Tris.  
  
"Don't hide it darling. I know how bad you want me." That was the last straw. Tris could NOT take his arrogance.  
  
"For your information, I am NOT your darling. In fact, I would rather eat horse dung than date you." With that she went back to her book. Adam just chuckled  
  
"Okay. I get it. We're playing hard-to-get." Tris growled and did her best to ignore him. She silently contemplated striking him down with a lightening bolt.  
  
*Oh no you don't Saati* (A/N: I know that' s what she calls Sandry but I want to use it for Tris too.) *Murder is still illegal in Emelan*  
  
*I know. But what if we make it look like an accident? You know, make it look like it was a real storm?* Tris countered jokingly. The girls burst into giggles again.  
  
Meanwhile, a wagon away, Elizabeth and Dan were having a make-out fest. Somehow they'd managed to nab a cart with just the two of them in it. And as a plus, Luna was driving. This meant that she was a nervous wreck and needed all of her concentration to drive. And that meant she wasn't paying attention to the two love-struck teens in the back of her wagon. (A/N: No, they are not going to have sex)  
  
Taking a break, Elizabeth looked deep into Dan's blue eyes. A giddy smile crossed her face as she saw an expression of passion and desire lingering in them, unaware that he saw the same thing in her own eyes. I could stare into his eyes forever, thought Elizabeth giddily. Suddenly the wagon hit a bump and she was caught off balance. She jumped and landed in Dan's lap. She made a move to get off him but he pulled her back. "You don't think you're getting away THAT easily, do you?" He asked her playfully. Giggling she leaned into another kiss. The wagon hit another bump and the two teens were jostled in the middle of their make-out. Dan winced as Elizabeth bit his tongue. They broke away, deciding that enough was enough, and had to be content to just lay there with each other. (A/N: I'm horrible at writing fluff)  
  
Soon they were back in Winding Circle at Discipline and the regular routine was back in place. When everyone left for lessons, Tris was left alone in the cottage. She read for a while but soon tired of it. Leaving, she went to Frostpine's forge to talk to Daja. *Daja?* She mind-spoke.  
  
*What?* came the reply. *Mine if I stop by? I'm getting more than my fair share of boredom here.*  
  
*Sorry, but I'm swamped. I think Frostpine has enough work to do for ten mages!* Daja answered, sounding irritated. Tris sighed.  
  
*Okay.* She said, changing her direction and heading for Winding Circle's surrounding wall instead. Reaching it, she took her time climbing up. Though she was in much better physical form now than she was when she first arrived here, Tris still hated climbing stairs with a passion. Once she reached the top, she settled herself in a notch and did a meditation. When she came out of it, she looked serenely at the waves and felt the wind tickling her skin. With the familiar feel of cool air the wind brought to Tris, it also brought voices.  
  
"That was a perfect oppurtunity. Why did you ruin it?" Asked a menacing voice.  
  
"Sir, if you please, our plan." replied a younger voice that sounded oddly familiar.  
  
"Our PLAN is to make it inconspicuous. Untraceable. This would have solved our problem you IDIOT." Tris heard a smack and winced, recognizing the sound as that of a punch.  
  
"I'm sorry master." Came the young voice with an obedient air. The wind died down then and the voices ended. Tris got up and left, sick of hearing other people's conversations. Meanwhile, Adam walked back to Discipline with a newly received black eye.  
  
Author's Note: I wanna thank all of my reviewers! Especially Galadriel Greenleaf for reviewing me three times and Sarah Coldheart for telling me that I still had the signed reviews only button checked. 


	9. Adam's Point of View

Adam walked down the path leading home. He decided to tell anyone who asked about his black eye that he'd walked into a tree branch when he wasn't paying attention. He winced thinking about how stupid he was going to look. Well, he thought, it's not like I can tell them the real reason. 'How'd I get a black eye? Oh, well, you see, it's like this: I'm helping a very powerful mage kill you all. He wants Elizabeth and Dan dead and he tweaked when he found out I saved them from the bear. Don't worry, it can all be fixed!' Right. THAT'S what I'll say, I'm sure they'll understand. In truth, Adam hadn't meant to save them from the bear. He hadn't taken Dan because he needed help, he'd taken him because Jordan wanted him (as well as Elizabeth) dead and Elizabeth had gotten into a situation that would make that easy. But when he'd seen her, he couldn't do it. Fuck, he thought, I'm going soft.  
  
He'd also been told to quit trying to woo Tris. She wasn't important. He couldn't believe she wasn't of use to them. She obviously had major amounts of power. But apparently he had to go for that ugly wench Elizabeth. He cringed thinking about it. Tris was beautiful, and he was enjoying the chase. Adam decided that he wouldn't give up the chase. He would still woo Tris. He could get Tris as his girl and still gain Elizabeth's trust as a friend. This way he would accomplish his task and still have Tris, who was proving to be quite a challenge. He loved challenges. Adam laughed to himself. It was through a challenge that he came to be in the position he was in now. He spaced off thinking about the beginning of it all.  
  
It was about a month ago. He had been walking down the street, coming home from the market. On his way he'd seen a noble come out of a store with his hand in his pocket. A moment later, as he was walking in front of the store, the owner began screaming "THEIF, THEIF!!!" The noble had looked panicked for a moment before he saw the boy. He threw something gold at him and tackled him to the ground.  
  
"I've got him!" The noble had yelled after that. The shopkeeper came out.  
  
"Thank-you good sir." He said courteously to the noble before turning to Adam. "You little scoundrel! Stealing from me are you?" He bent down and picked up the gold thing that the noble had thrown at him. It was a bracelet. The shopkeeper pocketed it.  
  
Realizing what had happened, Adam had shouted at him, "It wasn't me! It was him!" and gestured to the noble with his head. The shopkeeper looked horrified and backhanded him.  
  
"How dare you dishonor our nobles!" Turning to the noble boy, who was still holding Adam, he told him, "He'll pay for it, I assure you." And Adam had. He'd been sentenced to ten years at the docks. A month into his sentence, he'd met Jordan. Jordan had promised him his freedom if he could help him with something. "It'll be a challenge," he'd said, "but I'm sure you can handle it." Now Adam was going to be a murderer. He shook his head thinking of the irony of it. He went to the docks for a crime he didn't commit and was being freed from them for a crime he was committing. Mila was the legal system useless!  
  
Author's Note: Yeah, it's a really short chapter. Bear with me here, I sort of screwed up my plot and so now I'm trying to piece it back together little by little. And for those of you who didn't get this already, the voices Tris heard were Adam's and Jordan's. See ya next chapter! Byes! 


	10. Common Interest

Author's Note: Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. Anyway, please forgive me if this is written a little weird. I was just reading "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" for school, and it might show a bit in my writing.  
  
Tris bit back a laugh as she saw Adam enter the cottage. The boy's face and walk still looked similar to that of an arrogant donkey, but he sported a new black eye making his entrance, because of the arrogance and self-love he showed in it, quite comical.  
  
Adam, upon seeing the smile she was vainly trying to hide, said, "I see you smile as I enter. I suppose I have finally won a spot in my beautiful one's heart." This made Tris burst into the peals of laughter that had been begging to escape her lips from the start.  
  
"It gladens me to see I have made you so happy that you can no longer contain your joy." Adam responded gallantly before kneeling and kissing her hand.  
  
Tris snatched her fingers from his grasp. Getting herself under control she responded to him, "The day your presence brings me joy is the day you shed your human mask to reveal your true self. For in truth, you are an Ass! In this, your true form, I shall be able to ride you to the highest cliff and push you off."  
  
"Well," Adam replied, "If you wanted to ride me, all you had to do was ask. Shall we use your bed or mine?" At this comment Tris burst into another round of mocking laughter, and continued to laugh in such a manner until she had successfully dragged herself out of the house.  
  
With Tris gone, Adam seized the oppurtunity. After a quick search, he confirmed that the cottage was empty and proceeded quickly to Elizabeth's room. He began carefully searching her belongings, searching for any clue to help him find a way to get close to her. He opened her drawers and looked through her clothes. Near the bottom of one of these drawers, he came across a notebook. Picking it up, Adam looked inside and found a series of songs, poems, and stories. Well. here's something. He thought. With the new-found knowledge that she loved to write, he carefully put everything back so that it didn't look as if it had been touched at all. He knew this wasn't much, but it was all he had. The others would be back soon and he didn't have anymore time to look around. This, at least, was a start. Lucky my uncle was a writer, or I'd be completely lost. With that last thought, Adam returned to his room to decide on a way to share this, now, common interest  
  
Author's Note: Okay, this was a short and boring chapter. Sorry, but I had to find some way for Adam to gain a relationship with Elizabeth without giving up Tris. The coming chapters will probably be short for a while. They'll get longer eventually tho. Bye until then! 


	11. Stories

Elizabeth walked downstairs to find Adam sitting at the table scribbling something on a piece of paper. "What are you writing?" She asked. Adam looked up, startled.  
  
"Oh, just a story. It's about a thief who falls in love with a princess, so he pretends to be a prince to win her heart." He blushed, "I know how unrealistic and sappy it sounds, but I kind of like the idea."  
  
Elizabeth smiled. "I think it's great." She told him confidently, "I didn't know you wrote. I mean, I knew you could write, but I didn't know you wrote stories."  
  
Adam chuckled. "I admit, it's a certain passion of mine. It's fun, you should try it some time."  
  
Elizabeth smiled at him. "Actually, I do. I love to write. I'm working on a story of my own, but I've sort of hit a rut. I'm having trouble getting past this one part."  
  
"Maybe I can help." He offered. "Do you have it? If you'd like, I'll read it over and see if I can help." Elizabeth's face brightened as she told him she'd love that and ran up the stairs to get it. Adam shook his head and smiled, she was making this all just too easy.  
  
Elizabeth smiled as she ran up the stairs to get her story. Maybe she'd been wrong about Adam. At first she'd thought he was a little weird and he gave her a creepy feeling sometimes. He would get this dark gleam in his eye, like he was thinking something truly evil, that would send chills down her spine. But how could someone who is evil write something so beautiful? Or be so friendly? She bounded down the stairs once more with her story, handed it over to him, and sat down prepared to do some serious writing again.  
  
Author's Note: I haven't written anything on this in so long!! I have a few ideas to put in though, so the next chapter shouldn't take so long to put up and (hopefully) it won't be so short. This one was tiny but at least it helped me push through some of my writer's block. 


	12. Love Triangles

"Hmmm…" Elizabeth looked anxiously at Adam as he looked over her story. 'Will he like it?' She wondered, 'I hope he does.' This thought surprised her. She'd never cared if anyone liked her stories before, in fact she had very rarely been willing to let anyone even read them, and now here she was letting someone not only read them, but she most DEFINITELY cared what he thought. But why? Adam looked up and Elizabeth pushed these thoughts out of her mind to listen to what he had to say.

"It's alright so far. I can see where you got stuck though. The plot seems to be dragging a little. Why don't you bring in a new character? Someone for Amelia to fall in love with" He suggested, naming her main character. Elizabeth looked at him, confused.

"But she's already in love with Chris." She stated. He smiled mishcheviously.

"I know. That's what makes it interesting." (AUTHOR'S NOTE: Foreshadowing??)

"It's almost time for lessons" commented Elizabeth, "how about we do this again tomorrow?"

"Same time, same place?"

"Sounds good." She agreed as she picked up her notebook to put it away.


	13. Never Walk in the Woods at 2 am

A/N: Format problem has been fixed. (Me: One, Computer: Nuthin). Italics are going to be thoughts now. Enjoy!

Elizabeth ran up to her room to put her story away. She was practically glowing with pride because Adam had liked it. He had told her to create a love triangle to pick it up a bit. _I guess it's worth a shot_. She decided to ask him if she could read his story later. After all, she had let him read hers. She was really starting to like Adam. _I wonder if we're friends. I hope so._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elizabeth walked home with Dan after their lesson with Luna. They had been progressing quickly and she was beginning to teach them how to use the elements to their advantage. It wasn't really controlling them, that was too dangerous, it was more like manipulating them. It was still dangerous and it required a lot of skill so she hadn't let them try it out yet. (A/N: I think this might actually be of use to the story! Don't hold me to it tho.)

When they got back to Discipline, they both went into Elizabeth's room. Dan sat down on her bed and drew her over to him and onto his lap. He kissed her neck softly before she lightly pushed him away. "Not here. What if someone comes in?" Dan sighed and rolled his eyes, but smiled at her. 

"They'd see us and leave again." He replied. She laughed but got up off his lap. "So," he started, "This whole 'using-the-elements to-our-own-advantage' thing…it's kinda cool, huh?"

"Yeah. It's wicked cool. I can't wait to try it!" She declared excitedly.

"Why wait?" Dan asked. Elizabeth fixed him with an icy glare. If looks could kill he'd have been flat on his back in a nanosecond. He laughed at her and said "Just kidding." She punched him in the arm and turned a bright red from her embarrassment. She could be so gullible sometimes. Dan rubbed his arm where she had smacked him (angry girls can hit hard) and smiled like an idiot. "Aw, come on" He said, "You know you love me!"

"No I don't." she said, but she smiled and sat down next to him to put her head on his shoulder.

A Few Weeks Later…

It was 2:00 in the morning. Elizabeth was fully dressed and stumbling through the woods. _What in the world am I doing out here?_ Adam had woken her up an hour before and told her to get dressed, they were going somewhere. When she asked him where, all he would say was "Out." She was getting extremely angry at being dragged on this insane trip to the-middle-of-nowhere and was seriously considering rendering him unconscious with a fallen tree limb. Of course, she realized, if she knocked him out she'd be totally lost. But then, she wasn't so sure that even he knew where they were anymore.

"Adam, would you mind informing me, since there's no way in hell I can find my way back to Discipline in any kind of elaborate escape routine, why I'm out here in the woods at God-knows-what hour?!" A few minutes passed and she was about to ask again when he stopped and pushed through a bunch of tree branches, holding them back so that she could do the same. When they emerged from their cover, they were in a huge cave. Adam picked up a lamp from the shadows and lit it before leading the way through the rocky halls. They finally stopped in a chamber much smaller than the entrance. With awe, she thought that they must be inside some sort of mountain, though she couldn't remember any that existed here. Maybe a hill then she decided.

"Whoa…" She breathed, "this is so…beautiful." Adam turned to face her. She didn't recognize what she saw. His face, thrown into shadow by the lamp, was contorted in malice. He shoved her down roughly.

"Sit down and shut-up." He replied sharply.

"What the fuck?!" She shouted at him as she stood up. He pushed her down and kicked her in the ribs.

"I said sit down and shut up." He said, breaking up the words to give them emphasis. _Note to self:_ Elizabeth thought, _don't contradict someone who shoves you down with a look of pure hate on their face. Apparently they mean it._ Elizabeth continued to wonder what was going on. She thought Adam was her friend, they'd been getting along so well. _Well, apparently something happened. Dragging me to a secluded cave in the middle-of-nowhere at an insane hour of the night, pushing me down, and kicking me isn't exactly considered friendly behavior._ Then it finally hit her that she was in a secluded cave at an insane hour of the night being abused by someone she thought she could trust. And no one else knew about it. Whatever was going to go down here was not good. _Damn. How do I get myself into these situations? If I'm not being crushed to a pulp by the raging sea, I'm being abducted by my best friend and brought to some obscure location to meet some uncertain, but most likely unpleasant, fate. I must be the luckiest girl in the world!_ She thought with bitter sarcasm.

Back at Discipline…

Dan woke with a start. He wasn't sure what was wrong, but he was feeling really…wrong. He got up and walked down the hall to Elizabeth's room. Whenever he was feeling bad, somehow she made him feel at ease again. He saw that her door was open. _That's weird. Oh well, she must have just forgot to close it._ Stepping into her room, he saw that that wasn't the case at all. She was gone. But everything she had was in order, almost like she left on purpose. Still…he just couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. _Okay…okay…I have to think. Come on, think man, think._ After pacing the floor for another minute, an idea hit him…or rather, he hit the idea. Dan looked down at what he had tripped over. It was Elizabeth's scrying bowl. Grabbing it up, he ran out to the kitchen pump and filled it. Then he sat down at the table with the bowl in front of him and sank into a deep meditation. He looked into the water and sent his magic into its depths. _Where is Elizabeth?_ He asked, _What's going on? _He sent his emotions, the worry, unease, urgency, and sense of foreboding with his question. It was the only way he could think of to convince the water to show him. The surface rippled and a picture formed. He saw Elizabeth being led through the forest…then he saw her in a room and someone shoving her down and kicking her…Dan heard a whisper that he recognized as the water's say "_past"_. Then the surface went dark. _That was the past._ He said, _What is the present?_ Again he sent his emotions through it. His answer came not in pictures, but in emotions. He felt fear, confusion, despair, panic, a fierce anger and shame, and an uncertainty that wasn't his own. He couldn't get anything else out of the water. Dan thought again. _Okay…I know those feelings weren't mine. They must have been Elizabeth's. Alright, so she must be in trouble. But what am I gonna do? This isn't my area of expertise. I'm not the problem solver in this relationship!!! Okay, calm down and THINK. Obviously I can't do this alone; I'm not dumb enough to try that…………… OF COURSE! Duh! I'm only friends with four of the most powerful mages in the world! Not to mention their students._ With that decided, he got up and ran to Briar's room. It was time to get the Circle kids into action again!


	14. Cupid

Elizabeth sat on the rocky floor, wondering what was going to happen. She didn't know how long she'd been there, but she was starting to get really bored. _I think I must be the only person in the world who gets bored when they're about to die_. Elizabeth had already made up her mind that she would die. She figured it didn't get any worse than that, so if she resigned herself to that fate she'd be ready for it when it came and if it was something else it would seem good in comparison to death. So that was that and Elizabeth was going to die. _I must also be the only person on Earth-or wherever we are-_ she thought, remembering she was in a different world now and realizing that she had never bothered to ask what planet they were on-_that decides on her own that she's going to die._ Just then a man stepped out of nowhere. He had long blonde hair tied back in a horsetail. He had full lips, high cheekbones, and clear blue eyes. He was wearing a robe of red silk with gold trim that skimmed the ground, with a red shirt, black tunic, and black breeches underneath. The man looked at Elizabeth as if he expected a reaction from her, but she just stared calmly back at him. She was beyond being shocked now.

Unphased by her lack of caring at his arrival, he smiled at her. "I've been expecting you." He said.

"Really? I was under the impression that if you're expecting someone, you're usually there first. For "expecting me" you sure took a long time to get here." She replied without emotion. Ignoring her comment, the man went on.

"I've been waiting a long time to finally meet you, my dear. And I must tell you, if it weren't for the efforts of young Adam here, I may never have." Elizabeth glanced over at Adam who wouldn't meet her gaze. "Oh, don't blame him." The man said with a dismissing wave of his hand, "He didn't really have a choice in the matter."

"Whatever." She said, her voice still devoid of emotion. She really didn't care one way or another anymore. "Since you're apparently the master mind of this operation," she began, saying the words "master mind" in a mocking tone, "I suppose you'd be able to tell me why you're hosting me in these lovely accommodations? My tiny brain can't seem to understand why I've been dragged out to a cave at some odd hour of the night to meet a guy dressed like a giant valentine." (A/N: I don't know if they have Valentines Day, so let's just pretend that they do)

"Oh, it's really quite simple." He answered cheerfully, "I'm going to strip you of your magic."

Dan walked through the dark woods. Behind him were Tris, Daja, Sandry-who had been staying at Discipline that particular night (A/N: How convenient!)-and Evvy. Briar was leading the way, asking the trees and plants if they'd seen Elizabeth coming through and navigating the way. No one had been particularly happy at being awakened, but when Dan explained the situation they had all rallied to his aid. _Why do I feel like there should be some theme music or something playing for us?_ Dan wondered. Even though his thoughts were light, his heart was heavy. He was getting really scared. They'd been walking for a while now, anything could have happened since Elizabeth left. _She could even be-_ Dan cut his own thoughts off. He refused to think that. But even if she was alive, he didn't know what would await them when they found her.

Elizabeth was now fuming. Despite her efforts to stop them, Adam and the man in red had shackled her to the wall of the cave (even though she could have sworn the chains hadn't been there when she arrived). She now sat on the floor, glaring at them both. The man smiled at her as if she had just told him he was the most handsome, lovable, and powerful person she had ever met and she admired him to the very core of his being, instead of the string of curses she had flung at him that would have made a soldier blush. Adam still wouldn't meet her gaze. The man in red- or cupid as she had started to think of him ("the man in red" was just too long)- opened his arms and began to chant in another language. Elizabeth could feel the energy in the room begin to pulse, then grow, until she felt she was swimming in it and it hummed all around them. Then his chant changed, and Elizabeth felt something stir inside of her. Suddenly it was as if her insides were twisting around, trying to burst through her skin. She let out a scream and fell forward. Trying to keep her wits, she stood and ran at him with as much energy as she could muster, but the chains that held her captive stopped her only inches from him. She let out another scream, but one of frustration.

Adam forced himself to look at her. What had he done? This wasn't what was supposed to happen! He wasn't supposed to care about her, about what happened to her! But here he was, watching as her screams tore through him to his very soul. He wished the ground would open up and swallow him rather than be here for this. Elizabeth looked at him, her eyes pleading with him to help her.

Elizabeth looked at Adam, who was watching her writhe on the ground in pain. She felt like screaming at him in anger, crying to him in pain, and begging him for help all at the same time. He held her gaze for a moment, then his eyes changed and she watched as his fist flew at cupid and hit him square in the jaw, causing him to fly backward. His chant was cut short and Elizabeth felt the pain inside her ease.

Adam looked at the angry man lying below him. _Shit. What did I just do?_ The man's eyes flashed and he realized exactly what he had done; _I just got myself killed._

Elizabeth watched as the man got up and fixed his gaze on Adam who seemed to be frozen to the spot. He seemed to grow to fill the space of the cavern and the air crackled around him.

"Boy, you don't know what you just did." He said, deadly calm. Adam shrank away from him in fear.

Briar stopped in front of a barrier made of tree branches. Pushing them back, he led their group into the cave. He stopped there for a moment. "I can't feel anything. Damn it, I can't even see anything!" Sandry rolled her eyes and stepped up to him.

"Here thief boy." She said, giving him her globe that held lightning inside it. It was a token of friendship that Briar, Tris, and Daja had given her a few years ago to help her with her fear of the dark. "And let me remind you that you have a student who's a stone mage. Maybe she can do something?" Briar glared at her, embarrassed at his own stupidity before turning to Evvy.

"Well, think you can find her?" He asked her. Evvy closed her eyes. _Why am I always the one that has to come to her rescue?_ She thought irritably, still cranky from being up so early. Pushing her feelings down, she concentrated and then began to lead the way. After following a series of turns they came to a wall. Evvy looked at it oddly.

"According to the rock, she should be behind this wall…but there isn't a way to get there. This should have been a passageway…I don't understand." Tris looked at it for a minute, then put her hand through it as if it were made of water, not rock. The wall hid her hand completely, as if it had swallowed it up to her wrist.

"Illusionary magic." She stated simply before walking through what had seemed to be a solid wall moments before. The rest followed her. When they emerged, they were standing in a small room. They all took a second to take in the scene before them. A man in a red robe was standing in the middle of the room, looking at Adam with a look of pure rage contorting his features. Adam was shrinking away from him, practically radiating terror, and Elizabeth was shackled to the wall at the rear end of the room.

Briar, who couldn't use his magic in the cave, pounced on the mage, cursing himself for not wearing his daggers. Daja ran to the back of the cave to order the metal cuffs on Elizabeth's wrists and ankles to let her go. Tris hesitated for a moment before running over to Adam and standing in front of him in a protective way. Evvy stood there, stunned, until she realized she was a stone mage standing in a cave. There were stone spikes hanging from the ceiling and coming up from the floor of the cave (A/N: I don't remember the science names, but even if I did, I doubt Evvy would know it). Evvy urged the ones on the floor to curl around the robed man's legs and the ones above him to grab his arms.

The man had just tossed Briar to the ground and was about to pounce on him, when he felt himself bound. Looking at himself, he saw the ropes of stone about him and began to laugh. "You think this will stop me?" He paused to let out another burst of laughter. "I'm a powerful mage!! Don't you people understand that? I can kill you all right now if I want to!" He shouted. Calming down, he said "But I won't. Well, at least not all of you." He closed his eyes for a moment and then they heard Adam scream. He fell to his knees clutching his head.

Adam felt as if someone was driving a dagger into his skull. He let out another agonized scream as his vision went blurry.

Briar started punching the man, kicking him, doing anything he could think of to break into his chant but he might have been punching a dummy for all the good it did. Tris grew a lightning bolt and shot it at him, but an invisible shield around him deflected it. She tried again, growing the next one bigger and stronger than the last. Again it failed.

Elizabeth had to do something. She looked at Dan who seemed to be terrified. Grabbing his arm she said, "Connect your power with mine."

Coming back to reality, Dan replied "We can't use our magic in here. There isn't any water, I checked."

Elizabeth gave him a patronizing look. "No shit Sherlock! I've been trapped here for hours, don't you think I would have checked too?? I don't care if there isn't any water."

Dan looked at her, confused. "Then what the hell are you planning to do? We're water mages," He said, drawing out the last two words for emphasis, "without water, we can't do anything."

"Look, I don't care!" She shouted, exasperated, "I'll just hit him with raw power then. I have to do something! Power is power! We have it with or without water. Water is just the tool we use to direct it. If you don't have a shovel to dig a hole, you use your hands. So what if we don't have water? We have the power, and that's the important thing. Now connect your damn power with mine before he dies!" She screamed. Dan, still looking doubtful, merged his power with hers. Together, they pushed it toward the robed man with as much force as they could. The man gasped and sagged in his bonds. Sandry went up to him and put her fingers on his pulse. "He's alive." She stated. "We better get out of here, I doubt this stone will hold him when he wakes up." The others nodded their assent. Tris and Briar helped Adam out of the cave and back home to Discipline.

Author's Note: Come on, like I'd let Adam be a jackass? He was too much fun to mess with, I decided to keep him as a good guy so I could play around with him still. If he's evil it takes the fun out of it, then he's just evil and I either have to kill him or make you all hate him because he lived. Anyway, be happy I didn't leave it in a cliffy. I almost did, but I kept going cuz the next chapter was too short alone. Please excuse my spelling and grammar errors. I REALLY don't want to proof read this. It's kind of long for me.


	15. Back at Discipline

"His name is Jordan." Adam sat at the table, looking tired and worn. Lark pressed a cup of tea into his hands (both she and Rosethorn had been awakened upon their return to the cottage) and, thanking her, he took a long sip before continuing. "I met him at the docks. Long story short: I was sent there for a crime I didn't commit." Briar snorted at this but Adam ignored him. "He told me that he'd get me out of there if I did him a favor. I had to kill two children in Emelan. Well, I would die on the docks if I didn't do it so I figured this couldn't be any worse. I might even get out of the dismal fate I was headed towards. He only told me that these children had water magic. No identities or other information until I absolutely needed to have it. Well, the time came when I did need it. I found out the two mages were Elizabeth and Dan." He glanced at them, shamefaced. "Anyway, his plan was to 'divide and conquer', as he put it. Take them down one at a time. He told me to go for 'Liz here first." He said, calling Elizabeth by the nickname he'd started using for her. He paused in his story to collect himself. "But I couldn't." Adam slammed his fist down on the table on the word ''couldn't'' for emphasis. "I thought I could…after all, what did I have to lose? I would've died on the docks if I hadn't and I would die now if I tried to back out. But I just couldn't do it."

"So you made a desperate attempt to save her, only it was too late in the game. If we hadn't come along, you both would've died." Sandry filled in, in more of a matter-of-fact way than a gloating we-just-saved-your-asses way. Adam nodded in affirmation. There was silence for several moments until Dan spoke.

"Why? Why did he want us…gone" he finished, unable to bring himself to say "dead". Adam shook his head.

"I don't know. Like I said, he had me on a need-to-know basis. I didn't need to know why, I just had to do it." He paused for a moment, then looked at Elizabeth and Dan. "I'm so sorry. I hope you can forgive me, but if you can't I understand." He waited for a response, but when he didn't get one he nodded and finished his tea in one gulp. Getting up, he excused himself to his room if there weren't anymore questions. There weren't and so he left, and the others soon followed suit.

Elizabeth lay in bed for a long time. She couldn't sleep. There were too many things weighing on her mind. How could she have trusted him? And why didn't she see the truth when he decided to drag her through the woods at TWO-OH-FREAKIN-CLOCK IN THE MORNING?!?! (A/N: I spelled out the "o" in o'clock phonetically so I could add the "FREAKIN" to it.) Finally she gave up trying to figure it out and forced herself not to think of Adam. Unfortunately, this brought the deadly face of Jordan up before her closed eyelids. _Great. Now I'm not only totally confused, but I'm terrified. And the day just keeps getting better and better!_ Practically crying with her frustration added to everything she'd been through in the past few hours, she walked to Dan's room. She didn't care what the Dedicates would think if they found them there together in the morning, she just knew she couldn't sleep alone tonight. Elizabeth crossed to Dan's big bed and smiled to herself. He always seemed to press himself against the wall on the far side. She climbed in beside him, trying not to wake him. She lay down. She was confident she hadn't disturbed his slumber, until he put his arms around her. She smiled again, enjoying the familiar, comforting feeling of being safely enfolded in his grasp, and fell asleep.

Author's Note: *Author runs as readers throw millions of sharp objects at her for going back to short chapters* Sorry! I swear though, I'm going somewhere with this…at least I think I am. Review please and if you have any ideas, I'd really love to hear them and use them. You can e-mail them to me at KTK3C@aol.com or write them in a review. Next chapter I'll start thanking you again if you review, I've just been in an "I have to write this NOW or it isn't going to get written" mood lately. Love you all, buh-bye!


	16. Plan B

Author's Note: Hey everyone! As promised, here are my thank-yous:

Eve Eastborne~ *tear* my fave reviewer! I think everyone know that you rock and they should all bow down and worship you. Anyway, be sure to get back to me on the whole "why" thing. And tell Alice I said thanks. (Sharing a body with an alternate personality sounds fun. I'll have to try that…)

Lady of the Shadows~ Thanks! I'm glad you like it.

*sniff sniff* no one gave me any ideas L Oh well. It's your loss for leaving me to my own devices *shakes head at the poor readers who have to deal with another chapter written solely by her* I love you anyways tho, you guys are so cool! Reading my story and all… *sigh* Okay, enough lovey/sappy stuff. It's story time. 

Jordan sat on the couch, gazing into the newly lit fire. That damn boy had betrayed him, and delayed the "unfortunate" demise of those two scoundrel children further. No matter, he would just have to die too. Of course, Jordan had never meant to let him live in the first place but at least the little street rat would have lived a bit longer and died a less brutal death. This would take further planning on his part, and delay this whole charade again.

Then an idea hit him. A malicious smile slowly spread across his face. Getting up, he grabbed a pile of blank parchment, a bottle of ink, and a quill. He had a lot of messages to write…

Adam went through the next day automatically, just going through the motions. He did his chores and went to his lesson as usual. The sky was clear and beautiful and seemed to mock him as he went through his day in a mood that screamed for storm clouds and earthquakes. No one said much to him and he didn't say much to anyone else. Small talk was pointless. He had betrayed everyone he knew; everyone he cared about. And it pissed him off. _Why the hell did I have to care?_ He thought dejectedly. _Because, you're human. That means you can't murder without caring, without feeling. You can't just hurt people without feeling guilty._ His rational half told him. Yeah, well, that didn't change anything. He still hurt the people that meant the most to him and that meant they no longer trusted him. And they shouldn't…should they? _I mean, after all, I did almost kill two of them. But I saved them in the end; doesn't that count for something?_ And so his mental battle went back and forth.

Adam went to his room and shut the door. He needed to get out, but he wasn't feeling up to talking to anyone. He wasn't feeling up to even looking at them. Since asking permission to leave was now out of the question, Adam used a locking spell he'd written, locked his door and opened the small window in his wall. There was no way any human, except for maybe a very young child, could get through it. Looking out of it, he changed into a seagull and flew outside.

Adam gave a mental smile to feel the wind under his wings. Flying was truly divine. Leave your troubles at the shutters (A/N: get it? He flew out a window! Window…shutters? Okay, fine, I'm not funny.) and just get away from it all.

All of a sudden, he started feeling weak; not physically or mentally, but magically. _SHIT!!!!_ Adam made a crash landing and changed back to human form. Panicked, he touched what looked to be a gold earring in his ear. "AH!" He pulled it away as a welt raised where he had burned his finger on the gold. "Oh shit. This is SO not good."

"No shit Sherlock. You're outside buck naked in a temple community." Called a sarcastic voice behind him. Spinning, he found himself face-to-face with Dan. Adam's mind raced. Should he tell him? Would it put a bigger rift between them? But what if he didn't tell him and Dan found out on his own?

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?" Dan asked, then added, with a questioning look at him, "And your clothes?" 

Deciding there was no room for any more lies between them, Adam responded urgently, "Jordan's doing something. Something big." Dan's face fell and a shadow of fear passed over it. Then his expression hardened.

"What is it? And how do you know about it?" He demanded harshly. Adam shifted his weight from one foot to the next. "What?! Spit it out already!!!" Dan yelled, losing his patience.

"Look, when I was working for Jordan, he tied himself to my magic. He burned a hole through my ear and filled it with molten gold that he had spelled. When the skin finally healed onto it, my magic had connected to it as well. Through this little gold blob he can sap my magic and use it for whatever he wants. Normally he'd take it in a certain shape. It's easier and takes less of it, so he can use more of it. But he's just sapping raw power. That means either he can't shape it through my abilities, which means that he really needs this power, or he needs a lot of power fast and doesn't have time to shape it. Either way, the outcome is bad." Dan took a moment to process all this information. He opened his mouth to yell at Adam for not telling them about this before, but thought better of it and closed it again. After a moment he spoke.

"Come on. We better go tell the others." Dan allowed himself a disapproving shake of the head to show Adam that just because he hadn't commented on his foolish withholding of information, did not mean he thought it was okay. Glancing back at him, Dan said, "You better get your clothes on. I don't even want to know what you were doing without them in the first place." Adam's face reddened with embarrassment.

"I shape shifted. I don't have my clothes." This visibly annoyed Dan, but since there was nothing he could do about it, he took a breath and let it go.

"Fine. I'll go tell the others. Then I'll bring back some clothes for you." With that, he took off running while Adam found someplace to screen himself from view.

Author's Note: hehe. I have an idea for what the big thing is, but if anyone else has any ideas for it, I could put mine off for a later date and use theirs. Any and all suggestions for any and all parts of the story are more than welcome and even if you have no suggestions, reviews are appreciated.


	17. He's Baack

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I'm in a good mood cuz my english sub never showed up today so we had a teacher-less class for an hour and half. About 20 sophomores in a room together without supervision? Can you say fun? lol. Anyway, it put me in a mood to write the next chapter, so you should all be happy too *reviewers all scowl and grumble angrily*

Eve Eastborne: Thanks much for the idea! I'm gonna use it. I think I can tie it in to my idea. Fun! Just watch out for the rest of my reviewers, they may try to murder you for making my story even longer by giving me a new conflict to tie in J 

Adam ran into the bushes to hide. He sat there for 10 minutes, praying no one would come by. Finally he heard Dan's whisper.

"Adam! Adam? Where are you?" Adam stood.

"I'm right-" Adam stopped short. _Shit. Oooooh shit._

Jordan laughed, menacing and low. "Stupid boy. You really aren't that bright are you? Trapping me in the cave, for one." Here he shook his head to emphasize how foolish that was, "And now, falling for such a simple little trick. Have you forgotten that I have illusionary magic? You just make this all too easy." As Jordan was speaking, an armed guard had crept up to Adam. Now they grabbed him. Adam opened his mouth to scream, but Jordan quickly put his hand over it.

"I wouldn't if I were you. You wouldn't believe the pain I will inflict upon you if you decide to utter a single sound." He had said this in a light way, but Adam knew that the threat was a true one, so he shut his mouth and let the guard lead him away. All his common sense had left him. If he had been smart he would have remembered that he was in Winding Circle and that, most likely, someone would have heard him yell for help and come to his rescue. But Adam did not realize this (and, to his credit, he was scared shitless when it came to Jordan anyway) so he decided to avoid a beating and let Jordan get straight to killing him when they got to…wherever it was they were going.

****

MEANWHILE, BACK AT DISCIPLINE…

The six members of Discipline (and Sandry, too) sat around a table. Dan had just finished telling them what Adam had told him. Rosethorn, Sandry, and Lark seemed impassive as they processed this information. Briar looked like he wanted slit someone's throat, Tris's hair was sprouting lightning, and Elizabeth just shook her head._ What's next?_ She wondered. She felt totally betrayed. Even after everything that had happened, after he told them about his past…why had he kept this from them? She didn't know, but she'd be damned if she wasn't going to find out.

A few minutes later, Dan and Elizabeth were hiking back up the hill (with a new pair of clothes) to where Dan had left Adam. Elizabeth was fuming. She planned on giving him a piece of her mind.

"Adam? Adam get your ass out here!" Elizabeth yelled as soon as she reached the spot that Dan said he'd left him at.

"Umm, maybe you'd better let me look for him." Dan told her gently. "Like I said, he's kind of naked." Elizabeth blushed at the reminder.

"Fine. But get him out here as soon as his punk ass is dressed." Dan nodded agreement and left to find Adam. He'd never seen Elizabeth so mad before. She always seemed so sweet and she hardly ever got really angry. To be honest, her recent swear tirade had really surprised him. I mean, sure, he'd heard her swear before, but she never really swore _at_ anyone. It was mainly when she dropped something or hurt herself. To be honest, it had really surprised him to hear her say that about Adam. He almost felt bad for him, having to face her when he got out. _Speak of the devil…_ Dan thought, as he spotted the a fore mentioned slime-ball himself.

"Hey, Adam!" The boy turned to face him. Dan looked at him oddly. Something was different, but he couldn't tell what. Dan tossed him the clothes. "Get dressed. Then follow me." He gave a secretive laugh, thinking of Elizabeth waiting to rip him a new one. "Dude, you are so screwed." He laughed again as Adam got dressed and then led him out.

Elizabeth watched them emerge from the trees. She stormed up to Adam. "You little fucker!" She began to yell at him. Adam walked away without a glance in her direction. "HEY! I'M TALKING TO YOU!!" She yelled again as she grabbed his arm to stop him. There was no way he was going to get away that easy. Adam whirled to face her. Elizabeth saw something familiar in his eyes. The next thing she knew, Adam had grabbed her arm and flipped her onto her back, before walking away again. Dan, enraged, ran at him with a yell. Adam turned to meet his attack and struck him in the chest as Dan launched himself at him, sending the boy flying sideways onto the grass. Elizabeth wasn't sure whether to scream or cry. She was also scared. She had seen something smoldering in his eyes that she was sure that she had seen before. She wasn't sure what it was, but she was sure it wasn't nice.

Jordan walked down the path to Discipline. _That was just too easy._ He thought smugly. He wondered if it would this easy to fool the others into thinking that he was Adam as it had been to fool Dan and Elizabeth.


	18. Jordan's a bad bad man For lack of a bet...

Author's Note: Hey everyone! I hope you're enjoying this story so far. I'm really getting into writing it. I know this story hasn't been terribly violent or deadly yet, but I do plan on killing someone to satisfy any death-obsessed people out there. I don't think that person will be a "good guy" though. I'm too much of a sucker for a happy ending. But then again, who knows? You never know if a character might just up and die. They like to take control of my story *mutters something about her characters being stupid control freaks*. I think they think it's funny to throw me off *mutters something about her characters being stupid meany-heads too*.

Eve Eastborne: I'll seal up the wells, but no promises on the ring of light.

Jordan gave a mental laugh._ Fools! All of them, fools! It was harder to change myself into Adam than it was to make them believe I was him. No wonder the stupid git got on so well with these people. Birds of a feather flock together. _(A/N: Just pretend that they had that saying back then, okay?) Jordan continued to look around the boy's room. A meager place compared to the suite he was used to, but it would have to do._ Not for long though, not for long at all._

Adam lay on a cold stone floor. He was miserable. He heard the clang of the door of his cell shutting and was dimly aware that he must be locked in, which meant that the five people who had just beat him to a bloody pulp had left. (A/N: There you go death people, violence.) This thought hardly comforted him though. He knew they would be back later. His mind was foggy with the pain that seemed to consume his being. If he could…just…black…out…

Dan and Elizabeth sat in Dan's room. They hadn't told anyone about their little "encounter" with Adam. They wanted to figure it out for themselves first.

"Well, something is obviously up." Dan stated. Elizabeth gave him a look that said, "You think?" Dan blushed and wondered how she could even make a glance drip with sarcasm. _It must be a gift._

"There was something in his eyes…" Elizabeth said, "something I've seen before. I just can't place it." She paused, lost in thought. Finally she sighed. "And I still can't" she finished, frustrated. The two of them sat there talking about the incident for about an hour, but didn't get any closer to finding an answer.

That night, as the household slept, Jordan crept outside. He began drawing a complex series of circles, always keeping the cottage at their center. When he was done, he went back to stand beside the building. Closing his eyes, Jordan began a low chant. The circles of power he'd drawn began to glow, faintly at first but growing until the light would have blinded any being who passed by. The air cracked loudly and Jordan was gone, along with everyone who had been in the cottage.

Elizabeth yawned and sat up. _What? Where the…, Why am…, What's going on?!_ She was sitting on a stone floor, in a heap with Dan-who, she noted delightedly, was only in his boxers, -Briar, Tris, Rosethorn, Lark, Sandry, and Daja-who had spent the night so that she could catch up with her friends. Frostpine had given her time off and she had decided to pay them a visit. (A/N: I want her there for something I might do later.)

"Good morning, darling." Rang out a sarcastic voice. Elizabeth knew that voice. Turning her head, she saw the despised face of none other than Jordan.

"Well, well, well," She replied, undaunted, "if it isn't the ego-maniac himself. What are you-no, what am I doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Jordan asked smiling, "Being held captive. I figured the iron bars and locked door would give it away, but then, you never were very bright."

Ignoring his last statement, Elizabeth continued. "How did I get here?"

"I took you. It was quite easy actually. After I spelled you-and your friends- by writing the correct runes around your beds." At her confused look, he put on an expression of mock sympathy. "You're wondering how I got inside? Maybe this will refresh your memory." Then Jordan changed. Suddenly he was a teenager. More specifically, he was Adam. "Still having trouble?" Jordan asked her with Adam's voice. "Maybe this will help." He shrugged off his clothes. Flashbacks of Adam flipping her onto the ground the day that she went with Dan to bring him clothes ran through her mind. Jordan put his clothes on and changed back. "It was quite easy to kidnap the little brat after that big oaf, what was his name? Dan, that's it. After Dan left to tell you Adam's little earring secret."

"What did you do with him?" Elizabeth asked, her voice low and tight with the rage that shone in her eyes. Jordan gave a malicious smile.

"Would you like to see?" He asked her evilly. Elizabeth stood up and Jordan opened the door, closing it again after she stepped out. He led her through long halls and winding staircases, always going down. Finally they stopped outside a large door. Jordan took a key from a chain on his neck, and unlocked the door. Leading her inside, he took another key from his pocket to unlock another door, this one with bars, that led to a cell. Once Elizabeth was inside, Jordan slammed the door behind her.

"Get comfortable. I trust your friends will be joining you soon anyway." With that said, Jordan left. Elizabeth let her eyes adjust to the darkness. When she did, she almost wished she were still blind. Lying at the far end of the cell, was Adam. His body was covered in blood and bruises that made her stomach revolt. She went to kneel at his side. She looked at him, tears starting to form in her eyes. She began to yell at him, defiantly.

"You better not be dead. Don't you think for one minute that you can get out of having to hear me by dying!" She began, refusing to believe that he may be gone. "How could you keep the earring from us? You told us everything else! Why did you keep that to yourself? Look where it got you! Just look!" She said, screaming the last phrase at the top of her lungs. Tears began to stream down her face, but she didn't notice as she continued to scream at him. "How could you keep this from us?! We could have done something, we could have helped! If you'd just been able to tell us, we could have prepared! How dare you keep this from us! How DARE you go and get yourself beat up on me! How could you?! I thought I was your friend! Don't you know you can trust me? DON'T YOU!!!" She wept, and her tears fell on his body. Elizabeth, realizing that she was crying, controlled herself. Taking a deep breath, she said again, "You better not be dead." She placed her hand over his heart. She felt it beating very faintly. "He needs a healer." She said absently. _What am I saying?_ She thought, _I'm a healer! _"Well, at least as much of a healer as he can get." With that decided, she put her hands over him and they began to glow as she worked her magic.

An hour-and many cramped muscles-later, Elizabeth opened her eyes. She had done her best to heal Adam's cuts and bruises, as well as the many internal injuries he had. The boy stirred, then opened his eyes. Elizabeth let out a sigh of relief. Adam looked into her eyes. "You've been crying." He stated simply. Elizabeth let out a small laugh at the simple-ness of the statement.

"Of course I've been crying, stupid." She answered him. "I thought you were dead." The memories came back to Adam in a rush. The kidnapping, the cell, the beating. He looked down at himself, realizing for the first time that he wasn't in pain anymore.

"How…?" Adam began, but realized exactly "how" when he looked back at Elizabeth. "Thanks." He said, simply. Elizabeth nodded and looked away. "I'll take it Jordan brought you." Adam said. It was a statement rather than a question, but Elizabeth gave an affirming nod anyway. "I'm sorry." He said. Elizabeth was quiet for a moment, then reiterated the question she had asked him a thousand times when he was unconscious.

"Why didn't you tell us about the earring?" She didn't look at him, but continued to gaze at the wall as she tried to fight back the new wave of tears that threatened to fall.

"I couldn't." He said bluntly. "You were all so angry with me already. I figured this would push you all over the edge. I'd never win back your trust."

"Oh, so you figured you could win our trust better by holding back information about the man out to murder us? Real logical. Why didn't I think of that?" Came Elizabeth's sarcastic reply.

"I'm sorry." Adam tried again helplessly, "It made sense then." Elizabeth snorted. "Look, if you're really that mad why didn't you just let me die!?" He yelled at her. Elizabeth whirled to face him.

"Don't you even try that." She said, "I saved you because I couldn't let you die. I saved you because deep down, I believed that you were my friend. I always watch out for my friends." Adam looked away sheepishly. He heard Elizabeth give a tired sigh and looked back up. "Maybe I was wrong." She said softly, as if to herself, "Maybe we aren't friends. But I still couldn't have let you die." Adam looked at her face. It held a sadness that was beyond tears. Cautiously, he crept up to her side and put his arm around her.

"We're friends." He told her. "Like it or not, we're friends." Elizabeth leaned on him, feeling drained. "Here," Adam said, "you should lie down. I know these aren't the best of accommodations, but you'll need to rest if you plan on facing Jordan again." Elizabeth nodded and lay down, drifting to sleep on the dirt floor as Adam stayed up as guard.

Author's Note: I have more to write, but this was getting long so I'll add it next chapter.


	19. Flood

Elizabeth woke with a start as the cell door slammed shut. "Adam!" She yelled, thinking that he'd been taken away.

"Shhh…I'm right here." He said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. Elizabeth looked towards the cell door, where Sandry and Daja stood.

"The others are coming behind us. They're leading us here in small groups." Daja said as she and Sandry went to sit by Elizabeth and Adam. Within the half-hour everyone was in the cell (and Dan was fully clothed. Apparently Jordan didn't like him half-naked.) They weren't sure what was going to happen to them, but they were all afraid. Even the two grown dedicates were terrified. Jordan had warned them all not to use their magic against him. He was housing 25 mages and anything they tried to do to him he could have ordered done back to them ten-fold.

The ten occupants of the cell heard the outside door being unlocked. Seconds later they saw the face of Jordan looming before them. He looked half crazy and utterly exhausted. He had an insane smile plastered on his face. "It's done." He said, "I've done it." Looking at them, he elaborated. "We've broken the magical defenses on Winding Circle, and we're going to make it storm. A long, harsh storm, with plenty of rain. You're bowl shaped Temple City will flood. We're going to lock the doors and spell the place. They'll be trapped. They'll drown." He let his words sink in before continuing. "I figured, why stop at Dan and Elizabeth? Not when I can sink most of the world's most powerful mages, drowning them in their 'sacred' city. And when it's over, I'll bring you all to see it. Maybe I'll even show you images of what happened. And then you'll die there too." He got up, laughing, and left.

Minutes later, Sandry stood up. "We have to leave. If we leave, we can warn them. Maybe even do something. Whatever the outcome if we do go, if we don't it will be death. Death for everyone."

"Unless you've forgotten, we're all trapped in a cell. In the middle of nowhere." Briar said.

"I have an idea to get out. Evvy has stone magic, right? Well this whole place is stone. She could open a hole somewhere; create a tunnel. We could get back to the surface of the earth, and out of the castle. The only problem is," Sandry continued, "that Evvy doesn't have that kind of power. That's where we come in. I can weave all our magics together. I've done it before, and I can do it again." She finished.

Briar, ever the realist, jumped in. "Even if you did, we wouldn't know where we are."

"I know." Adam said. Everyone turned to look at him. "I've been here before. I can get us back."

Briar was still a bit hesitant. "But remember what happened last time? Our magics all got tangled, and it really sucked when you had to take them away to untangle them." Sandry's eyes flamed.

"I know enough know to put borders on them. Our magics will still mix, I can't help that, but they won't tangle. Now are you in or out?" Briar hesitated.

"In." He finally agreed. Sandry looked around the cell.   


"And all of you?" She asked. They all said "in" as well, until she reached Lark and Rosethorn. They both said "out".

"You won't need us, honey." Lark explained, "And quite frankly, I don't to get 'mixed' with you guys. I like my magic the way it is. Rosie and I are both too old to be having our magic changing on us now." Sandry nodded her understanding and promptly sat down on the ground. Everyone threw her a cord of their power when she asked, and she began to spin their magic the way she had years before. (A/N: I think she had an actual spinning wheel with her before, but she's using a mental one right now. She can do that. I say so.)

When Sandry was done, she looked at Evvy. "Ready?" she asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She answered, adding, "Why do I always have to save the day?" the others laughed (except for Briar who just rolled his eyes._ Skirts!_ He thought.) She closed her eyes and concentrated. After what seemed like forever, they saw the rock wall begin to move, and in a little while there was a good-sized hole was in it with a tunnel opening after it. Evvy opened her eyes. "Let's go." She said. Sandry handed Evvy her "night-light" crystal and let her lead the way. Within minutes they reached a broad stair that didn't seem to end. Tris could be heard grumbling, along with Elizabeth after a bit, the whole way up them. When they all finally reached the surface, they had to let their eyes adjust to the light. Once they had, Adam led the way. The ten people trooped back to Winding Circle, praying they'd get there before it was too late.

Author's Note: Do you guys want Jordan to die? I'm not sure if I want to make a sequel with this story or not. Half of me is relieved to be almost done with it, but the other half doesn't want to give it up. I figure if I make a sequel, Jordan would be a good villain. He could try to take revenge or something. But if no one wants one, I already have a death scene handy. Help please!


	20. Problem Solving

Author's Note: At the request of Eve Eastborne, the only person who told me what they wanted, I'm going to kill Jordan. I might have a sequel anyway, maybe an apprentice hell bent on revenge…anyway back to the present. Now I can use my fun death scene! Well, I think it's fun.

Eve Eastborne: If she can see the ring of light than there's a crack in the lid around well. Maybe we can pour down molten lava or something, if we can find something thin enough to get through the crack and resilient enough not to melt with the lava…I'll look into it.

The group walked mutely through the woods toward Winding Circle. There was no need for idle chatter. Things were far past that now. But the silent troop didn't go far. They saw again, about 200 yards in front of them, the crazed face of Jordan. Behind him, was a group of at least 20 or more other mages (who must have been the ones Jordan was housing that helped him break down Winding Circle's defenses).

"Thought you could get away?" He asked them. "Come now. You should know me better than that. But then, your stupidity never did cease to amaze me." Everyone stood still. No one could think of what to do or say. Even the famous four were rendered helpless. "I am growing very tired of you all. I wanted you to stay here with me for a while. I never really got the chance to play with you. But now I see that you will not be held. No matter. Since you don't wish to stay with me, you will just have to die now." Jordan closed his eyes and began muttering and drawing signs in the air. Before him, the group saw a ball of red electricity begin to form. When it was the size of a large boulder, Jordan let it go. It hurtled toward them, ready to bury them in its electric charge. And there was nothing they could do.

Dan, however, got an adrenaline rush. He refused to die a coward, standing behind the others and letting them take the brunt of it. He ran to the front and opened his arms in a protective gesture, as if trying to block the ball from touching anyone but himself. In doing this, he let flow a tidal wave of his magic. It flowed outward from him in a blinding pale blue light to protect their group. When it faded, the electric ball was gone. Along with Jordan and his mages. All that was left of them were charred remains and the smell of burnt flesh. Dan collapsed and Tris, Briar, and Elizabeth caught him. He was unconscious but his steady, even breathing told them that he was just asleep. His whole being shown with an ethereal glow. All nine of them stood around him for a moment, rendered silent. Then, remembering what they were doing out here in the first place, Briar began to pick him up so he could be carried back. Tris helped him, and together they made easy work of it.

When they reached the city, the rain had already begun. They left Dan on the side of the road and grouped together to make a game plan. Unfortunately, no one had any ideas. Then words spoken months ago came to Elizabeth. She was sitting by a pond, listening to Calithil speak to her and Dan.

__

You two are very important to me. Calithil said seriously. _I gave you more power than I give most people. I have a reason for doing that. You have been given a harder path to take than most. You will have amazing power, but for that reason you will face treacherous and dangerous situations. Always remember that you have that power for a reason. Never underestimate it and never take it for granted. And I suggest that you come to terms with your fear of the sea. You'll need him._

Elizabeth knew what she had to do. Dan had faced off with Jordan and won. Now she had to too. "I have to do it." She declared. "I know what has to be done, and I know I have to do it." With that she left, never giving them a chance to respond.

Elizabeth ran until she got to Winding Circle's walls. She knew they would be locked. That was okay. She didn't need to be inside. She followed the wall until she reached the seashore. Elizabeth had pretty much avoided coming here until now. Swallowing the bile that rose in her throat at the thought of what she had to do, she stepped into the raging sea once more.

She wasn't exactly sure what to say, but she didn't need to. She was recognized.

**__**

WHAT ARE YOU DOING BACK HERE? Elizabeth fought her urge to run at the sound of that voice, the voice of the sea. Steeling herself, she sent out her response.

__

I need your help, sir. You are the only one strong enough to help me.

****

AND JUST WHY SHOULD I HELP YOU?

Please, sir, my home is about to be flooded by a magical storm. The only way to stop it, is if the storm can be transferred to a new location.

****

I ASKED WHY SHOULD I HELP YOU, NOT HOW! Elizabeth could tell from experience that the sea was getting angry.

__

Because, she continued,_ without your help, everyone that I know and love will drown._

****

I DO NOT CARE ABOUT THOSE YOU LOVE. LOVE IS FOR MORTALS. I AM NOT A MORTAL.

Elizabeth realized her predicament. She tried the last thing she could think of. If there was one thing she'd learned how to do in the past few days, it was how to manipulate.

__

Then Jordan was right. She stated, in the most dejected way she could,_ You can't do it._

****

WHAT DO YOU MEAN CAN'T?!?! The sea thundered in reply.

__

Please, sir, she said with mock fear-well, almost mock, _I did not say this. I did not believe it either. But you yourself have been making excuses as to why you shall not do it. Just as Jordan said you would._

****

WHO IS THIS JORDAN YOU SPEAK OF? So he was taking the bait, Elizabeth thought.

__

A mage. She replied, _He set this storm up to prove he was more powerful than you. He told me you could not stop it. I did not want to believe him, but-_ The sea interrupted her.

**__**

I WILL NOT ALLOW A MORTAL TO BELIEVE HIMSELF MORE POWERFUL THAN I. IT APPEARS THAT FOR ONCE OUR INTENTIONS COINCIDE. I SHALL HELP YOU. Elizabeth could have wept with joy, but she controlled her emotions. There was still the matter of re-directing the storm. She would place it above the sea so that it could absorb both the rain and the magic that came with it. After over an hour, she waded out of the water and back up the hill. She fell beside Adam, completely weary, and leaned on him for support as she watched the storm moving from over Winding Circle, to instead be over the sea.

They decided to sleep by the road that night. Dan was passed out and Elizabeth was too tired to walk all the way home without aid, and once they got there they would still need to undo the spells on the gates. They decided that was all better left till morning. They went to sleep feeling anxious but, for the first time in what seemed like ages, safe.

Author's Note: *Holds up sign saying "The End is Near!!!"* My story is almost over! *sob* I think I might create a sequel anyway, I just can't give up my characters. I think I might have some serious love triangles in the next one though. J I am so mean.


	21. Epilogue

Elizabeth yawned and sat up. _Where am I?_ She wondered. Looking around she saw Rosethorn, Lark, Dan, Adam, Sandry, Briar, Tris, and Daja. _Oh yeah. I remember now._

She got up and went over to a rock to watch the sun rise. _And to think,_ _I almost didn't get to see it._ She thought, remembering Jordan's crazed face. She shivered as she then remembered the last sight she'd had of him. Nothing but blackened bones and the stench of burned flesh. A pair of arms slipped around her shoulders to hold her.

"Cold?" Elizabeth heard Dan's lovely tenor voice ask. She shook her head but held his arms in place around her. He kissed the top of her head and sat down behind her, pressing her lean frame against his body. "You okay?" he whispered. Elizabeth thought about it for a moment.

"No. But I will be." Then they both fell silent as they watched the pink rays on the horizon change into the burning orange sun. Dan and Elizabeth heard the others waking behind them and got up. After a few minutes everyone was awake and ready to start their day. The group walked down the hill to the gates of Winding Circle. Joining hands, they connected their power. Lark and Rosethorn prodded the blankets of spells, searching them, looking for weaknesses. It could have been hours or minutes, all track of time was lost, but finally the spells were gone. The nine comrades looked at each other, relief, approval, and happiness shining on each of their faces.

Author's Note: It's over! It's done! FREE! I'M FREE! What? I said I was writing a WHAT?? A SEQUEL????? AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *chains reappear on her arms and legs tethering her to her story* Sounds like fun! Anyway, how did you guys like this one? Any questions? Any suggestions? I love you all for reading my story. You guys are awesome, really. You're great. I love you all so much!


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